P-Nerg Chapter 52

Read Table of Content | +Kyla Scurchio
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                Too scared to move I stood and waited for the dragon to land. The power of it shook the ground as he crashed down in front of me. The muscles beneath its skin flexed and his claws scraped the ground. Steamy smoke puffed its way out of its nostrils as it threatened me with a growl. The hair on my skin stood on end and my magic began to fade as the fear in me mounted.
                I called back the magic and tried to use a spell on the dragon but it only ticked it off. It launched itself in the air with a roar and dived back down towards me again blasting out white
hot flames. I used a spell to block most the heat but it was still intense enough to feel it on my skin. I dodged as the flame caught my pant leg on fire. The dragon’s wings pulled it high into the sky as it circled around us once more.
                All around me the land was scorched but no mouse had moved. A few nearby that were not protected by my spell had been killed. Suddenly a voice behind me sounded.
                “Stop using magic you fool! You’ll only piss it off!”
Without magic I would be defenseless, so I dodged for the nearest boulder and cowered behind it like a whimpering child. Had all the spells attracted the thing, or was it merely curious about the racket we had been causing? Seeming bored with it all, it remained circling above us.
Out of the thicket of trees and bushes a young mouse ran for it; a Nerg tribe member from the look of its garments. As he ran for the safety of the shore the dragon launched itself at him. Landing in a puff of flame and power it stretched out its neck and grabbed the mouse by the middle, shaking the creature until we all heard a fatal snap. The mouse hung limp in the dragon’s mouth, no one even breathed. Seeming satisfied with its destruction, the dragon let out one last blast of fire towards the nearest batch of trees before launching itself into the sky once more and flying away.
One by one the mice came out of hiding. I stood and stared around. The dragon had done more damage than I had first thought. Where he had landed his back feet had smashed a mouse hidden in the weeds. His tale had whipped around and knocked over three more. The charred remains of several mice were being pulled from the smoldering trees nearby.
The Champion mouse came over and started laughing, slapping me on my back.
“Way to go hunter you thoroughly pissed the beast off. Hahaha.”
I couldn’t see how this was funny at all. So much destruction was actually kind of frightening. Something that powerful couldn’t be touched by magic really and using my traps against would have been a laugh. Sensing my confusion she pointed at the victims.
“None of ours” she whispered as she sent a blast of water at the burning ground nearby. And sure enough only the Nerg tribe had been effect. The Elub tribe was gathering and heading back to the shore, all of them in high spirits. I quickly gathered the remains of my traps before taking off after the tribe.
The tribe gathered in a circle on the shore. The sun was just coming up as I took my place in the middle next to the Champion mouse. It was a strange truce, mouse and hunter, and I knew once I left, the truce would be broken. The Chief looked at me for a few minutes before calling forth his soothsayer. They had a brief discussion before turning back to me. The soothsayer smiled.
“You have done your part in this war hunter.” she said grinning. “And so we will hold up our end of the bargain.” She reached within her robes and pulled out a long piece of red fabric. When she unfolded it I could see it was a scarf, Zugzwang’s scarf. “Be warned of the Island where he dwells, where the seasons are not what they seem and the hunt is a game you can’t win. Take the Waves south and you will find the floating Islands. Return here hunter, and we will have to end you.” She returned to her place in the shadows behind the Chief.
The mice were silent, there would be no more given. I slowly made my way out of the circle not sure if they would really let me leave. Once safely away from the sharp spears and battle hungry warriors, I ran for it. Zugzwang scarf flying in the air as I gripped it tight in my hand.