Yara's heart pounded as she crossed the treeline. Thoughts raced as she considered her next move. She knew the dragon would be searching for her, and she couldn't stay hidden forever. So she had to move quickly. Looking at the sun's setting, she took the opposite direction into the woods for cover.
Sensing something amiss in the cavern, the dragon tilted its head in confusion. Its eyes darted around, and a low rumble emanated from its throat, a sound of discontent that echoed off the cavern walls when it realised the woman was missing. The eggs, momentarily forgotten, stirred with the dragon's agitation. It stalked the cavern, the scent of Yara's essence lingering but fading.
Yara, meanwhile, sprinted through the foliage, guided by the distant glow of the setting sun. She needed to distance herself considerably from the dragon before nightfall.
She could hear the distant roar of the dragon, an enraged sound that echoed through the mountains.
'Fuck! I thought I would have more time!' She cursed inwardly, pushing herself harder. She ducked beneath low-hanging branches as its massive shadow crossed overhead.
As night fell, the dragon's relentless search continued. Its massive form glided through the skies, eyes scanning the forest below.
On the run, Yara found a concealed spot in the dense forest, her breathing laboured. The magic crystal, securely tucked away, began to glow faintly. She seized the opportunity to contact her family; the muddled words echoed faintly, jumbled and obscured.
"The ord... cl... st... clo... dr... Wat... eve... mov... Don't... wha... tak... jus... en... you'... wit... Th... suc... of th... miss... dep... on it."
She frowned, "But I can make my way back! I just need you to be waiting at the zone." she responded.
"Do... for... you... wom... and... as... are...!"
"I understand; I will keep you informed on my movement," she said as the crystal lost colour. She sighed as she leaned against the tree. This was getting more complicated.
The following day, Yara cautiously emerged from her hiding spot, the first rays of dawn casting a soft glow on the forest floor. She planned to put more distance between herself and the dragon's lair, hoping to find a way out of the woods.
She continued her way north of the dragon's lair, sticking to the dense trees and avoiding clearings. The dragon's roar occasionally shook the forest floor. FrostWeave was setting in, and finding hiding spots in the thinning trees was getting harder as she moved further away.
As the sun's movement marked the passage of a week, she finally seemed to be making headway. Her supplies were already running low, and she was starting to freak out. Most creatures were already hibernating for the Frostweave season, and the trees barely had any fruit. She had hastily thrown things into her satchel when she realised it was taking her away from the courtyard.
'Maybe I should have planned this better.' she wondered, her breaths laboured. The initial rush of adrenaline gave way to a creeping physical and mental exhaustion.
It started to snow quite harshly at some point, and she had to find shelter in a small cave. The storm raged for a while, and she began to fear it might block the entrance and leave her trapped.
She lost track of time in the cave, huddling with her blankets to keep warm. The storm finally relented, and she hastily made her way out. One advantage of the storm was that it would definitely clear her scent and make her hard to track. The entire forest was covered with a fresh layer of frost. She looked up at the sun. The covering of the branches had become scarce after being battered by the storm.
'I'm even more vulnerable now. I need to keep going.' She thought, breath visible in the chilly air.
However, as she stepped forward, a sudden gust of wind and leaves rustling made her freeze. The dragon, with a mix of anger and relief, descended from the skies, its eyes ablaze with fury. Yara's heart raced as the colossal creature landed before her, blocking her path.
Yara froze, not sure what its reaction would be. The creature's large chest was heaving. It was clear it had spent the whole night searching. Her eyes drifted to a nearby burrow, considering escape. Sensing her thoughts, the dragon snarled in warning.
'I-I might be able to make it if I just-' her foot shifted toward the burrow, but the dragon roared. Yara decided to risk it and darted for the burrow.
In a fit of rage, it lashed out, a claw grazing her side. The impact sent her sprawling to the forest floor, pain searing through her body. The dragon, realising what it had just done, immediately recoiled.
The limp, broken body overlapped with another in the dragon's mind, and it rushed forward.
Yara clutched her side, wincing in pain, blood staining her clothes. "well fuck," she gritted her teeth as she tried to staunch the bleeding. "Fuck, this can't be the end; I- I have to get back."
The dragon, overcoming its initial fury, approached Yara with a hesitant gentleness. It lowered its massive head, examining her injuries. Its tongue darted out, delicately brushing against Yara's wounded side. She squirmed on the ground. The sensation was strange yet soothing, the dragon's saliva working magic to heal her injuries. Yara winced at the initial contact but felt a warmth spreading, the pain subsiding.
As the bleeding stopped, the dragon nudged her with its snout.
She unconsciously reached out, her bloody hand trembling as it brushed against the dragon's scaled snout. She had noticed that the first time it healed her in the passages, she got tired afterwards. Was it an after-effect of the healing?
Her lashes fluttered close as she lost consciousness. Still visibly tormented by its actions, the dragon extended a cautious claw towards Yara. It wrapped her up gently and took off back to the cavern. It grunted as it dropped her gently on the ground, circling her unconscious form anxiously, a low growl escaping its throat.
Why were humans so fragile?
The eggs seemed to vibrate in the background as though they knew what was happening. The dragon tore through her discarded satchel. It clumsily poured out the clothing, draping all of them over her body.
'Humans tended to wrap up, right?' at least he always did.
It paced the floor, circling her sleeping form. The eggs had just finally begun reacting again; she couldn't die now. Smoke exited its nose as it watched her chest rise and fall slowly. a little too slow for its liking.
It curled around her, facing the cavern opening. Nothing would be happening again.
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"Don't worry so much," soft and breathy words drifted through the cavern. The dragon's colossal form anxiously paced around the cot and rumbled in response. Its worry was evident in the way its tail flickered.
"You act as if I'm about to vanish," the voice teased. A soft cough punctuated the words, and the dragon shifted, restless.
"You know I can handle a little fever," the voice persisted, playful and warm—an attempt to soothe the dragon's restless thoughts.
The dragon lowered its head, with large eyes reflecting concern and affection. A low growl rumbled, a sound akin to a worried sigh.
"I'll be fine, really!" the voice continued, a subtle rasp making the state of their illness clear.
"I can almost hear you snorting in disbelief," the voice teased again, drawing a deep, fond rumble from the dragon.
"You've got other things to attend to," the voice continued, "Are the eggs ok?" warm hands, too warm, shakily rubbed its snout gently.
Abruptly, the dragon's eyes snapped open. The dream, fragile and fleeting, dissolved. A sense of disorientation clung to the cavern's air. The dragon's gaze fell upon the woman, her face flushed with fever. The sudden realisation struck the dragon. The voice in its dream—it wasn't this woman.
The dragon's thoughts swirled in a storm of conflicting emotions. The image of Yara's injured body in the snow flashed in its mind—the result of its enraged strike. Guilt, like a heavy stone, settled in its chest. What had it done? Why did it allow a human to get under its skin so badly?
The dragon's gaze shifted to the cavern's heart, where the precious eggs lay nestled.
Dread coiled. 'What if its actions harm the eggs?'
A surge of protectiveness welled up within the dragon. Its wings rustled with unsettled energy as it circled Yara's unconscious form. A low, pained rumble escaped the dragon's throat as it leaned closer to Yara, its enormous eyes filled with remorse and anxiety. The gentle touch of its snout traced the outline of Yara's form, and it exhaled a plume of smoke in a silent sigh at the scent of blood.
As if sensing the dragon's thoughts, Yara, still caught in the fevered haze, stirred on the cot. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting the dragon's gaze with a soft, hazy focus. "Don't worry so much," she murmured, her words mirroring the dream.
The dragon blinked, unsure if she was getting better or worse.
Her hand reached out weakly and fell on its snout; the dragon raised its head, feeling the same dratted warmth from her hand. It tensed as her hand slipped but it seemed she was already asleep again. It nudged the scattered clothing around her body again and laid at the foot of the cot. Its watchful gaze lingered between the eggs and the woman who had become an unexpected and unwanted part of its world.