Inferno Legacy: Loyalty of the Dragon (Book Two)

Chapter 16

The smell was thick and wafted around Cody in thick clouds. He coughed and the paw steps ceased no more than ten yards from where he lay. A shadow was cast over him and he heard the heavy breathing of the beast that had pursued him. It grumbled and growled low in its throat as Cody slowly flipped over onto his back to face the thing that he and dreaded seeing. He couldn’t help the scream of terror that escaped his lips when he saw the reason for Mournful’s warnings.

A bear, easily just as big if not bigger than the largest deer Cody had seen.

The bear grumbled and growled again and lowered its head down to Cody. Each of its fangs was as long as he was, if a bit longer. It opened its mouth wide and roared; the noise so loud that Cody’s ears started ringing as if a blast of thunder had gone off just beside his head. The bear picked up a paw, intending to squash him apparently, but Cody dove aside as the paw came down and he was instead showered in a layer of dirt.

The bear growled loudly in frustration. It dove forward to bite Cody, but the rider dove aside once again. The bear pursued him and followed its attack with a swipe of its paw. Cody yelped in surprise as the massive paw made contact and he flew a dozen or more feet. There was a screech from up above before he crashed against a tree and passed out.

                A few seconds later, or perhaps a couple minutes, Cody grumbled and looked up. He heard another hideously loud screech and saw a flash of white as Mournful clawed at the bear’s ears. She dove for his eyes but the bear lifted its head and snapped at her wings, missing by mere inches and making her avert her course. There was a howl and a roar just as Cody caught a glimpse of glimmering gold in the sky and a flash of misty grey in the forest among the tree trunks.

                The bear roared twice as fiercely and loudly as before when Destiny tore at his left eye and Ashheart bit his toe fiercely. Aval dove from Destiny’s back and drew his dual swords. He lashed out with them and tore at the bear’s flank as he fell, making the beast roar once more. Everything was a blur of motion as each creature fought the one-eyed bear and it fought back as best as he could.

                Then it happened.

                With one paw the bear somehow managed to pin Destiny, Ashheart, and even Mournful, while the other paw was free to defend against the attacks of Omen and Avalsmokes, which was easy enough. Shaking off his dizziness, Cody stood and took his bow off his shoulders before knocking an arrow. He fired at the bear several times, but the arrows vanished into his fur seemingly without any effect. In the shadows Cody noticed Inferno for the first time, keeping low to the ground to avoid detection. He was clearly itching to swoop in and help, but even though he could run well his injuries would prove to be a terrible disadvantage. Even if he could land a blow, he definitely wouldn’t be nimble enough to evade the bear’s paw for even a single swipe.

                “Stay put,” Cody commanded as Inferno pawed the soil, desperately trying to stay where he was. “Please Inferno, we can’t lose you too, not now.”

                “But they need help!” The dragon howled helplessly, but he obeyed and backed away into the trees.

                Cody turned his attention back to the bear and felt his heart skip a beat. All of the beings trapped under the massive bear’s claws were perfectly still, dead or dying. Most terrifying was the image of Mournful, lying in a crooked heap of feathers, fur, and blood. Cody roared in fury and raced at the bear, drawing his sword as he did. He knew he was no match, but the blood and adrenaline ran through his veins with such force that he could not stop himself. He dove at the bear’s paw that held Mournful and the others. Even as the other paw collided with his body he drove his sword deep into the bear’s ankle.