Chapter 1

The humans were killing him! Veinarh reared back on his haunches and spit out a guttural roar causing many of the vermin to flee in terror. But I could see the pain in his eyes. I could still feel the Heartfire in his breast burning bright but I knew he was going too far. Their weapons were crafted by the warlock, and they slung small balls of human-made magic-fire which could break through even the toughest of scales.

Run Veinarh! Do not let your anger control you or you will be killed, we will be doomed!

But he brushed my mind away from his. The wars had muddled his mind, driving him crazy. Even after they were over the humans still hunted us Draki to the point of extinction.

They killed my son as he hunted in our own territory Sli! They must pay for their crime!

Anger rolled off of him, and I could feel his Heartfire turn black. He had been engulfed by his rage and was himself no more. Veinarh’s beat my wings on the night air with fervor, and he slid through the sky with ease toward his son’s limp and lifeless body. My Heartfire burned bright and as my legs grew tired it gave me strength to reach my brother and stop him. I could tell he was within sight of his son’s body as his anger intensified, turning to fear as he spotted the warlock.

I had to get to Veinarh and stop him from attacking the humans. Despite the fact that we knew our race was doomed, there was no need for him to risk his life for revenge. But, obviously his anger would drive him mad unless I tried to stop him. I ran through the forest and made my way to a clearing where I would have enough space, and then I unleashed the bondings on my Heartfire, the heat in my chest which radiated through my bones and skin. The warmth felt like bliss as my skin morphed into its emerald sheen and my wings unfurled to their full span. I sighed with relief despite the fact that they felt sore and cramped. It had been a long time that I had needed to hide under the guise of a human skin, and the power of my true form felt wonderful. 

After the moment of distraction I could feel my brother’s presence with my mind again, and with a powerful down stroke I was above the trees heading to the human village, my wings pumping on the air, moving with fervor.

I could see through Veinarh’s eyes now as our mental bonds strengthened in our true forms. The Warlock was wearing a cloak made from the skin of fallen Draki, which would protect him from the element the slain Draki possessed. I could tell it was fire from the red glint of the scales on the cloak. The warlock knew this was Veinarh’s element and a vicious grin ran across his face.

I sensed Veinarh had seen the cloak as well but he bravely stood his ground against the warlock.  Smoke was rising from his lungs now. It was warm and delicious and powerful. And then the flames were coming. Veinarh spit bursts of flame at the surrounding buildings in an attempt to keep the other humans from shooting him further. His leg was bleeding heavily and his wing was injured beyond repair….I wouldn’t make it in time.

They dispersed, many wounded and running, but the Warlock was still unafraid. He was murmuring a spell. Suddenly Veinarh’s legs were unable to move. Damn you warlock! He shouted with his mind, and growled, but of course the Warlock could not hear him, and continued murmuring. And then, as quickly as a candle being snuffed, Veinarh’s Heartfire was stolen and his body went limp.

The connection was broken and that was the moment I knew Veinarh was dead. I was very close to the village now…too close. Without my link to Veinarh I had no idea where the Warlock was, but I sensed I was in danger. I suddenly felt afraid of this place, and there was no helping my brother, no defeating the Warlock on my own. I started to turn around, and that was when the spell hit me. How could he have this much range?! I am not even within his sight!

My muscles were tightening and would soon be immobile as Veinarh’s had. I tried to descend quickly before my wings were unable to move, but it was too late. I plummeted toward the forest below while I struggled to fight the spell, but it was no use. The trees hit me hard and a sharp pain went through my wing as a tree branch punctured its membrane. They slowed my fall though and when I met the ground, the fall hadn’t killed me.

My brother and nephew were dead, and now I was lying vulnerable on the forest floor outside the village where the Warlock resided. I would soon be dead if the Warlock or the humans were able to find me, and so I decided to use the last resort of the Draki people. I did as the phoenix does, and drew my Heartfire inward, the flow of heat encasing my heart until I went dormant, my existence returning to the egg from which I had once been born. And everything went black.

…

I woke in the forest in a place that looked familiar, but I was unsure. What was my name?... I couldn’t remember. Where am I?... I couldn’t remember that either. I did feel thirsty though and so I found a small pool of water nearby.

I drew my hand through the cool water, savoring the feeling of the liquid running over my skin. The moon was full tonight and the wildwood was quiet except for the soft north wind swirling off the sea smelling of seaweed and salt. The moonlight was enough for me to see as clearly as day, and as I cleaned my face in the pool, I heard something moving in the woods not too far away.

Instantly alert and my heart racing, I silently darted into a nearby thicket for cover. The rustling turned to footsteps as two humans approached, conversing with each other. It was obvious they were drunk. I stayed quiet despite my urge to flee; I knew they could easily kill me if they found me here away from the village. My skin crawled and heat hummed in my chest, but I fought the change as it would give away my presence.

The first man came into view seconds later. He was short but stocky and his face was hard and somber, the creases in his brow giving him a constant scowl. He was wearing leather boots and carrying only a rifle and a small satchel. The second man was taller and fatter and he looked around warily as he walked. It appeared they were hunters, but they were loud moving through the forest, and would never be able to sneak up on a Draki. But I had never heard of humans venturing this far into the forest before. I must inform the elders.

The fatter one spoke up. “What are we even doing in this f*****g mosquito trap Sayen? This place is giving me the creeps and I am pretty sure we’re s**t out of luck with that map your brother gave you. What a load of crap that was that he was spinning about treasure and dragons, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that’s what we’re here for until we already tramped miles into this godforsaken place!”

“Shut up Clint, we aren’t lost. See here?” He pointed to something on a piece of paper he pulled from his sack and held in front of them. “That there is the rumored burial ground from the ancient war. We are bound to find some crazy treasure or s**t there. The story is that the dragons were attacking the village when a Warlock used his power to kill the last of them forever. If we could find the bones of a dragon we would be rich men.” The shorter one smirked, showing a row of crooked and rotting teeth. 

Author's Note

Let me know how you like it and I will review something of yours in return. This was something I started a while ago, and I am hoping to continue the story soon. If I get positive reviews I will definitely get it going again. :)