Through Smoke and Ashes

Seven||Caught & Caged

At first, I thought I was dead. But then came the pain of a throbbing headache which only worsened as I thought of it. My stomach churned as I harshly swayed against a coarse surface, I was warm but then cold. The constant shift in everything around me caused a feeling of dread to surface. Maybe I had died.

It wasn't until I heard the waves lapping against the sand did I remember where I was. The previous events came tumbling forward like a wheel rolling down a hill, spinning out of control until it finally crashed. I then realized how hopelessly stupid I was.

I coughed through a mouthful of sand and saltwater, continuing to clean the grit from my dry mouth.

Out of curiosity, my eyes periodically wandered to my closed palms, debating whether or not I should assess the damage done to them. Finally clearing the sand from my mouth did I sit up and slowly open my hands, my mind also opening up to what they might reveal.

Interestingly enough, my hands were fine. There were no burn marks or healing wounds, or even scarred flesh. They looked to be as normal as how they did in the beginning.

Was it all a dream? A terrible nightmare?

Shaking my head in disbelief, I pushed myself up, stumbling over my two left feet as I made my way over to the brown bag that unfortunately was rough under my skin, dried salt coating the material. I made sure I still had supplies in my bag before hoisting the strap over my shoulder and made my way towards the tree line and away from the nauseating push and pull of the ocean.

Images so vivid circulated through my mind as I stared into the shadowed undergrowth. But, I couldn't be certain they happened. The only thing that would relinquish my growing curiosity would be to venture back to where my memories would take me.

"No fear," I whispered, finding my way through the forest. Every slight twitch of the forest had my heart stuttering in a rapid spiral of dread and tension.

Eventually, I broke through the cover of the forest and stumbled into the same open ground with the filled cages scattered about it. I drew a blank. Although this proved that I wasn't imagining things, it still didn't make me feel any better.

A sharp clang ran through the air, shocking me from my concerns. My eyes critically scanned the area.

Having realized that it was still broad daylight and there was a possibility of being spotted by the hunters, I stumbled back against a pile of fallen crates, hiding myself the best that I could.

I scanned my surroundings, unintentionally formulating a plan. It seemed as though the clearing was scrambled around, nothing held much order.

My eyes locked onto the cage I encountered last night, but this time a new dragon was confined within it. I approached the still conscious dragon, its flaming amber eyes locked onto my form instantly. The dragon's mouth, wings, and legs were tightly bound, eliminating its escape.

Its struggles against the tight fabric sent a pang of remorse through me. Where they rubbed against its beautiful, dark green scales were worn marks that cracked and bled.

I tried calming the dragon, the racket it was making would surely cause unwanted attention. My voice was hushed into a soothing whisper as a form to calm its nerves, yet the dragon squirmed the closer I got. The racket caused was slightly alarming. So, I changed tactics.

The gap between the dragon and myself was cleared instantly, my hands locked around the metal bars and I stared deeply into its amber eyes.

"Listen here, you overgrown reptile, if you want to get out of here then you're going to have to cease the racket, alright?" I wasn't sure if dragons could understand our language, but it was worth a shot. It stopped momentarily to fully look at me, into my eyes. I showed no fear towards it, yet, with the strength and intensity of the dragon's eyes, it almost felt like it was peering into my soul.