FSE

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Chapter: 2

~Grant

I jumped, hitting my head with a start. Distant cracking sounds rang out through the forest, disturbing my sleep.

Birds shrieked in their nests, in the distance I could hear wolves howling madly.

Struggling for a moment, I pushed the makeshift door aside and crawled out into the night. At first my eyes strained to make out anything, but soon they adjusted to the moonlight and I noticed bright flashes of light off to where I assumed the North was considering where the sun had set earlier.

Not entirely thinking straight, I stumbled into a jog and made my way towards the lights, it could very well be people and right now I wanted a hot drink and a nice comfy bed to sleep in more than anything else in the world.

My sneakers crunched over the dead underbrush, snapping sticks and thudding over moist dirt. I slapped at some low branches that jutted out at my head, suddenly I was deafened and had to shield my face from the bright light.

"Christ!" I swore, ducking down.

The light faded and I moved forward carefully this time, ready to raise my arm to shield my face once more in case the lights flashed; then I heard voices, people!

I was just about to run out and thank whatever god was watching over me that night when I heard something that made my blood chill.

"Stuff that one into the unit, hit it if it tries anything."

"Man I love these stun rounds,"

I heard something groaning in pain, followed by what sounded like several men grunting in unison as they dragged something across the ground.

I crept up and hid in some bushes, pushing some of the branches aside so I could see what was going on.

I wish I hadn't, there were about six people standing in the clearing all dressed in some sort of uniform, drab green with splashes of decorative yellow. They were all toting large rifles of some kind, I'd never seen anything like them before; they looked like they belonged in a Sci-Fi movie.

Four of them were dragging a creature along, it was hard to make it out but it was undeniably reptile, I could see scales as blue as the midday sky in the eerie luminescent light cast by their vehicle.

It croaked as it was hauled up into the back, where some sort of holding cell was welded in. Once the creature was in, they dropped back and closed the cell, pressing a button on the side of the vehicle when they were done.

"Good, we should head back now that we have it. Bloomin' Devil gave us a heck of a chase though." One of them who hadn't been dragging the creature said, slinging his rifle over his back.

The others slipped off into the forest, while the other two watched the creature for a few moments, taunting it.

Whatever it was and why ever they had caught it, this was cruel and I felt my blood boil, before I even knew what I was doing, I'd jumped out from the bush and sprinted the fifteen metres between myself and the man with the rifle over his back. The other one turned in shock as I ran up but the first didn't have a chance. I went in and kicked his right leg in, then grabbed the rifle, twisted it and pulled the trigger. I watched as the other one dropped their gun before violently shaking and then collapsing in a heap, sparks of blue light dancing over their body.

"What the!?" the first one cried out.

I spun him around and shoved him into the vehicle, I heard something snap as his arm was caught behind him and he screamed before falling backwards.

I heard thudding and shouting and suddenly I was surrounded.

"It's a freaking kid!"

"What the heck is he wearing?"

"Crap! The commander is down!"

"Shoot him!"

Suddenly in all the anarchy, I heard a screech and turned just in time to see a flash of crimson red slam into one of the four men. He screamed and fired his gun wildly to no avail.

The entire forest lit up with light as guns went off all around me. I grabbed the fallen rifle and aimed at one of the men who were trying to get their sights on their new assailant.

Squeezing the trigger, I watched as he shook him topple to the ground violently. Another man was tossed across the clearing. The third man was too quick for me however; I turned but found myself staring down the barrel of his handgun.

"Suck it kid," he said before squeezing the trigger.

I felt something slam into my arm and I cried out in pain. It burned like hell and I lost all feeling from the elbow down.

His grin turned to a frown then a silent scream as I watched the creature head butt him.

I dropped the gun and clutched at my bleeding arm, wincing as I squeezed the wound. Then I heard a machine starting and turned just in time to see the vehicle speed off, all six of its wheels churning up the dirt it drove over.

I ran after it, still clutching my arm hopelessly. There was zero hope I'd catch up but I felt like I had to try. The creature rushed ahead of me but even it wasn't fast enough.

I stumbled to a stop and shuddered. It was cold, or I was cold, whichever it was this was bad.

Falling to my knees I began to shiver uncontrollably.

"Human,"

Startled, I looked up. The creature was standing over me, its eyes bored into mine with a range of emotions I couldn't even begin to decipher.

"You risked yourself to try and save Insefir... why? You humans never help us dragons,"

"D-Dragons!?" I stammered.

It looked down at me, "What tree did you fall out of human?"

I reached out to her with my good arm, the palm of my hand soaked in my blood. It recoiled in disgust, baring its teeth at me. "Don't test me human; answer my question before I sever your hand from its wrist!"

I retracted my hand and began to shiver again, "Because they were hurting it and I couldn't sit by while they laughed and jeered at it. It was horrible, I had to do something."

"Brave... but foolish. You could have gotten yourself killed or worse." It stated, no longer glaring at me.

I shrugged as best I could and replied, "So could have you, so now we're even okay?"

It nodded and sighed, "You're hurt... we must find a safe place to rest. It is the least I could do for your courage."

My eyes must have lit up because it then snorted, "Don't get any ideas human, I'll deal with you if I even get the slightest whiff of any kind of treachery. Now get up, sitting there won't do anyone any good."