Oathkeeper

Chapter 65: A Dream of Winter

The glare from the sun rising over the horizon was all she could see from the depths of the dark cave. She could hear her own heartbeat.

Boom, boom. Boom, boom.

Taste the iron in the blood that coursed through her veins. Feel the contrast of the flaming hot ice sitting in her glands. She was captivated by the dull white hue of her talons as she finally found the strength to head towards out into the open. There was no struggle, today she moved as free as a river. The sweet sensation of freedom, the honeysuckle scent of opportunity, was just another twenty feet away. Suddenly she began taking large strides towards the light, it grew brighter and brighter, forcing her eyes shut until the wind from the freefall whipped against her scales.

She opened her eyes, taking in the wonderful sight of the snow covered forest. Her deep mulberry colored wings spread out wide, flapping large gusts of winds downwards as she flew higher into the sky. In just four short months, her dragon had grown to be a bit larger than a fully grown horse. Seeing as to what the girl read about dragons, she didn't expect it to be this big for at least another few years. But it was truly impossible to set a single realistic expectation about anything residing in The Land of Always Winter.

Ilizabeth wanted to shout at the top of her lungs. She wanted to rejoice in her ability to fly, and when she tried, a large gust of azure blue flames ripped from her mouth. Ilizabeth was beyond elated. She soared over two hundred foot mountains and pearl colored rivers that divided into streams over a thousand miles long. She spun and flipped her body over and over until her keen eyesight picked up the small movement in the forests. The dragon turned to the left, collapsing its body together as it dove lower to the ground.

Ilizabeth's wings flapped over the tall trees, causing them to blow back, shaking the fallen snow from off the leaves and onto the ground with the rest. The snowfall created a haze over Ilizabeths vision, one that she wasn't able to see through until it settled. She saw a black seedy dot through the smoke, then two, then she was able to see its entire face. Its skin was heavily marked with scarifications and held the same pearlish pink hue as the water from the river. Its hairless head turned upwards in pure astonishment of the creature hovering over it.

Although Ilizabeth was intrigued by the creature, the dragon in her was too distracted by the sheep wandering in the mountains. She felt an uncontrollable sense of hunger wash over her. Her mouth was watering, her stomach was growling, and her teeth were sharpening all in preparation to pounce. The burning ice brewed in the back of her throat like a pot of tea, boiling over and spewing out flames. It hit the animal hard, immobilizing it as it was now buried deep in a thick layer of crystal clear ice. Her instincts landed her on the ground. Just as her jaw opened to clench around the ice and devour the frozen sheep she woke up.

Ilizabeth shot up from the bed, panting heavily as beads of sweat dripped down her face. Her hair was as disheveled as her breaths, and there was a dull white horizontal line of dried drool that ran across her cheek. Upon her rough awakening, she flailed her arms and accidentally struck her uncle in the groin. He groaned as his body now jolted upwards too.

"I'm so sorry!" Ilizabeth exclaimed as she threw her hands over mouth.

"What's going on?" He croaked while trying to suppress his agony.

Ilizabeth couldn't even begin to articulate what just happened. Whenever she warged into the dragon she couldn't help but feel an intense pull on her body, like she was straining to remain in control of it. She'd return to her own body feeling heavier than a pail of stones. She'd also never visited the dragon inside a dream. Anytime she overtook its mind before, she fainted as her consciousness was violently ripped from her body. But in her dream, she no longer felt caged. She could lift her legs, spread her wings, and fly without feeling a single weight on her shoulders.