Tatania

 

        I hurled the spear into the clear, cloudless sky, aiming at the growing black spot that was quickly coming towards us, squinting at it as it flew. I could make out the snout of the creature, the deadly claws, and the wings strong enough to create a tornado. It was a dragon. I grinned. My spear would fly true, I was almost sure of it.

 

        The creature gave a wild wail as the spear found its mark, piercing the dragon’s stomach. From where I was, I could see it thrashing about in the sky, howling as it began to drop. Still, the long, spiked neck flailed as the dragon struggled. And then the head went slack, and the dragon, without further attempt to live, fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

 

        It was a green dragon.

 

        I walked toward it, disappointment flooding through me. Blast the darn thing. I wanted to find the gray one, with the broken horns! That’s the one that killed my parents five years ago!

 

        “Another one?” Milluella was right behind me, disgust written plainly over her dainty features, “That’s the third one this week! How many dragons do you plan to kill anyway?”

 

        “All of them,” I told her absent-mindedly as I washed my hands, now stained with crimson dragon blood, in the creek. I pulled my spear from carcass of my kill, wiping the blood on the grass, “Or at least until I find the gray one with the broken horns. Here,” I tossed her my hunting knife, “Skin the dragon.”

 

        She tried to protest, staring at the dead dragon with obvious revulsion, holding her nose and avoiding it like was a disease, holding the skirts of her brown velvet dress up in cased it touched dragon blood.

 

        “Are you going to skin it or not? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. Don’t just stand there, make yourself useful! Call for Crastin, he’ll skin it.”

 

        Milluella gave me one last, doubtful glance and turned her back to me, still holding her skirts, and shouted, with all her breath.

 

“CRASTIN!”

 

He stumbled through the bushes, red rims around his blue eyes, which were currently alarmingly wide, and his tousled light blonde hair stood straight up, leaves entangled in it�"a bad side effect of sleeping in a place with a hardy wind and autumn leaves.  “Where�"what? Are you in danger? Where’s the bad guy? Let me at him…” he mumbled groggily, and shook his fists weakly, stumbling around, and for a moment I seriously thought he was drunk, but I guess the side effect of waking up a person too fast by startling them would be this, and so I sighed, willing myself to be patient.

 

“Milluella wants you to skin the dragon,” I told him.

 

He groaned. “Another one? That’s the�"�”

 

“Third one this week,” I said impatiently, repeating his sister’s words, “Believe me, I know.” Milluella handed him my hunting knife. Crastin knelt beside the dragon, now fully awake, grumbling as he sawed at the dragon skin viciously with my knife.

 

Milluella averted her gaze, hiding her face in her slender hands, shivering. I rolled my eyes. Milluella was the typical “fair maiden”. She was lovely, with her wide, sapphire-colored eyes, her long, reddish curls, her slender figure and her fair skin and delicate features. And of course, her behavior was typical as well, especially her weak heart and delicate mind. I would gladly bet with every single penny under my name that she was going to be married by the end of the year. But in spite of her annoying and somewhat childish behavior, she was the only girl in town who would talk to me, in spite of my horrible reputation, and I am often thankful for her companionship.  

 

“You can sell the skin and that’ll pay for my rent this month,” I said coolly, “I can even help carry it to the market if you wished.”

 

“Tatania, you’ve already over-paid us!” Milluella protested, “You should leave some for yourself! Don’t you have anything you want to buy?”

 

“The only thing I want,” I told her as I stared up into the clouds, “Is something money cannot buy. Besides, it shall serve you better. Your mother can provide you with a decent education with that money. I do not need it.”

 

Milluella flushed pink at this. Her mother, the innkeeper’s wife, had hired a tutor to teach her how to read and write. Certainly useful, and certainly a quality every proper lady should possess. I believe she was also trying to learn the arts of dancing and music.

 

“You know,” Crastin said as he got up, “If you keep this up, we’ll be the richest people in the town.” He grimaced and slung the dragon skin over his shoulder.

 

I allowed myself to smile. “Do you need me to accompany you to the market?”

 

Crastin shook his head, “Nah. I should be fine. After all,” here, he gave me a pointed look, “I’ve done this more than ten times already. Stay with Milluella and keep her out of trouble while I’m gone.” He sauntered off.

 

Milluella and I waved at his steadily shrinking figure that was disappearing quickly.

 

“What does he mean, keep me out of trouble?” She finally asked, after the little dot on the horizon that was Crastin disappeared.

 

“I don’t know what your brother means,” I admitted, standing up and offering Milluella my hand, which she took, forgetting for a moment that I’d just washed dragon blood from it and pulled herself up, “But I think he possibly means to keep you from all the rogues that hang around the inn just to catch a glimpse of you.”

 

Milluella blushed like mad and swatted at me. “Oh, that wicked tongue of yours! I shall punish you for your cheekiness!” And she made to punch my shoulder.

 

I smirked and ducked aside, dodging her fist. I shouted, “You’ll have to catch me first!” and so it was, with my dark black hair whipping back, I took off and ran like the wind, with Milluella following not far behind me.

Author's Note

My first fantasy scene in a while..... :D Hope you likey!