I Am Myth

Mystics

The beast swooped down with silent wings and chilling accuracy. Brian didn't hear the leathery wings until they beat swiftly right behind him. He spun alertly and drew an arrow, swiftly readying his bow against the beast.

But the shot never fired as Brian was tackled by another beast. This one pinned him with surprising strength and Brian felt his limbs go numb as the paws blocked any circulation going into his arms. The shear weight of the snarling creature was enough to break bones if the creature had decided to.

Brian stared upwards into the eyes, golden as the sun yet cold as ice, gleaming with a mixture of aggression and fear.

And you should be afraid, Brian thought as he reached carefully for his weapons, though the strength of his arm was diminished. He felt something, but it wasn't the hard smooth wood like he had hoped. It felt soft and sticky and very stringy. Almost like a spider's web, just bigger.

Brian tilted his head just slightly so he could see his weapons and his heart dropped. The stringy substance was spider web, though what could make a web that fast with the strength the web possessed, Brian could only guess.

A shadow slithered over Brian's face as the dragon came over to look at him. Brian closed his eyes. This was the end. However, instead of feeling pain, he felt a damp leathery touch, as if a flow of water was at the edge of his arm. He opened his eyes slowly to see the outstretched wing of the dragon carefully poking at his arm. Curiosity was in the dragon's eyes despite the pitch-black marking that made him look angry.

The wolf and the dragon exchanged growls and odd high-pitched noises. The wolf's growls were long and forceful, whereas the dragon's, though louder, seemed to lack any aggression. Finally they both stopped and looked back at Brian, whose arms and legs were now officially offline.

The wolf got off Brian slowly and Brian pitifully attempted to get up, during which he looked like a flopping fish as none of his limbs responded, only to be pinned down again, this time by the dragon.

Scales rippled and shimmered in the growing daylight around the dragon's whole body. Huge paws ended in sharp, jagged claws, yet the pressure against Brian's shoulders was light, as if the dragon was but a mere butterfly, a very big scary butterfly, and yet Brian couldn't lift himself against the beast.

A slight tingling sound sparked Brian's attention and, trying not to make any sudden moves, he slowly turned his head to see the wolf returning. Iron shackles hung limply from the creature's jowls as he trotted leisurely to where Brian remained.

A slight growl was passed from the wolf to the dragon, and the dragon responded by getting off Brian, who was beginning to feel his legs again, and nuzzling Brian's hands together so they could be easily cuffed.

No, thought Brian, I'm not going down that easily! With all his remaining strength, Brian rolled over and pulled his sword from under the web, which was truly exhausting. Sweat ran down his face as he forced himself to focus, but he was pinned down once again. Though this time not by the beasts, but by the very thing he weapon had been trapped under; web.

Soon enough he saw the cause of the web that seemed to come from nowhere. A spider, almost as big as he, looked down upon him. The hairy critter was equipped with spiky mandibles and two long antennie-like strings that Brian had never seen on any other spider. It watched him with no emotion, though it secured his weapon and then his legs to the ground with surprising speed and detail.

Fatigue took over Brian, both from his lack of sleep and the energy he had just spent, and partially due to the fact that he was lying in a warm spot on the ground and wanted nothing other than to fall to sleep. Everything was dizzy for Brian, a blur yet to be deciphered, so he let the blackness overtake him and he fell into a deep unconsiousness