Not So Alone Anymore

Chapter 1 ~ Alone

A lone figure watched the sun rise from atop a cliff, thinking. Remembering a time of adventure and friendship. Remembering his loyalty to one friend above all else. But as the sun rose, he only felt alone. For the friend who used to watch it with him was gone. And he wasn't coming back.

He looked back at the village his friend had called home. It was different now; it had changed many times over the years. Once, it had been bustling with the noise of battle, until his friend brought about peace and friendship. It changed from a place of kill or be killed to a place of partnership between man and beast. But now... The figure turned away, unable to bear the sight of the village as it was now. Empty. It was... empty. There was no sign of life, for everyone had left. Almost everyone.

The lone figure sat on the cliff for several more minutes, before slowly standing and walking into the surrounding forest. He soon found his...his place. It wasn't even his home. He couldn't call it that, because it was so much more. It meant so much more. He climbed down the rocks, stepping quietly onto the soft grass. He took a long drink from the pond in the center, half-heartedly staring at the fish that swam in it, before walking away and curling into a ball to sleep. It didn't come easy to him; it never did these days.

He lay for several hours in that uneasy slumber before waking. It was dark out, and raining. He listened to the rain for a few moments, laying completely still. Grimly, he got to his feet, making his way out of the place he called a refuge and into the woods. From there, he continued walking. Once more, he thought of the past, losing track of time, and where he was going. But he didn't care. Not anymore.

Before he knew it, his legs had brought him into the village. Empty village. He thought to himself bitterly, looking around dully at the place that he once called home. He kept walking, half of him wanting to just curl up and cry. He forced himself to keep going, keep walking. It was only when he reached a certain building that he stopped. It was a house. His former home. His friend's former home.

He slowly crept up the stairs, stopping for a moment at the door before pushing it open. It was empty. As if the residents packed their things, and left. He looked around sadly. That is precisely what had happened. And it was all his fault. He thought back to that fateful day. For a moment, the figure stood still, eyes closed. It felt like the walls of his old home were closing in on him. He couldn't breathe. Panicked, his eyes sprang open and he bolted out the door, running through the village until he was out of it. But he still ran on, hardly feeling the raindrops as they splashed against him.

He skidded to a stop at the top of the cliff. He didn't know why he stopped; going over the edge would have put an end to his now miserable life, but... He just did. His eyes were closed tightly, his head pointing down to the ground as he panted, not from the running, but from the memory.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and lifted his head, staring out at the night sky before him. He once loved to watch the stars. But now... he hated it. The vast sky made him feel so... so small. So insignificant. So... Weak. He thought to himself. But... No matter how much he hated it now, he couldn't tear his gaze away. And more memories flowed, like a river, as the stars twinkled in the sky.

He couldn't hold it back anymore. He tossed his head up and let loose an unearthly howl full of grief and pain. He panted after his outburst, before flopping on the ground as tears fell from his large, green eyes. Eyes that were once filled with wonder and life. Eyes that now reflected only sadness and regret.

---

Umbra flew slowly through the night, hoping to soon spot a place to land as her wings were sore and tired from constant traveling.

Beat.

She growled softly.

Beat.

She felt another pulse of pain in her wings.

Beat.

She stifled another growl. Suddenly, her sharp eyes spotted the silhouette of an island. Happy to see land, she sped up slightly, ignoring the throbbing pain in her wings. After several minutes, she landed, albeit a little clumsily. She stretched her wings for a moment before folding them close to her body and walking into the forest to look for a place to spend the night.

After about an hour of wandering, she stumbled upon a pretty little cove with a pond in the center. Carefully, she climbed down the rocky side of the small basin, sniffing the air. She picked up a faint scent of... something. It was difficult to tell how long it was since that something was there, however, through the rain. She snorted. Whatever lived here... She could fight it if it wasn't friendly. She curled up on the ground and quickly fell asleep.

A howl tore through the air, waking Umbra. What in the name of...?! What was that?! She thought, getting to her feet and looking around wildly. She scented the air again, but the rain prevented her from finding anything. She stood for a moment, struggling with herself before curiosity won over. She flew out of the cove, heading towards the source of the howl. She reached the end of the forest in minutes, where she dove for cover in the trees. She growled. There was a village in front of her. She hated villages and avoided them at all costs, but once again her curiosity won over.

She slowly crept out of the trees, eyeing the seemingly abandoned settlement. She sniffed the air; it didn't smell like anyone had lived here for a long while. She looked around as she walked down the street, eyeing the damaged and sometimes utterly destroyed buildings. She spotted a large house and peered in through the door. The village was definitely abandoned. She couldn't help but wonder what happened here. A bright flash of lightning and a following boom of thunder snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned away from the house to keep exploring, when something caught her eye.

It was a large, flat object with some scratches etched into it. She recognized human writing when she saw it, but she couldn't read it. But something about this object drew her to it. By just looking at it, she felt... sad. Must be a gravestone or something... She thought, but it felt like it was much more. She didn't normally care for what humans had to say, but in this case, she dearly wished she could know what was written.

She shook herself. What's wrong with you? It's just another silly human-related thing. She thought. She opened her mouth, as if to blast the thing to bits, but strangely, she couldn't. She just couldn't. Frustrated, she let out a low growl and marched away. What the heck is wrong with me today? She thought. First you let that thing get to you and now you can't blast it to bits. She snorted and kept moving through the village, looking around.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't intrigued by all of the stuff she saw. The village was... different from any other human settlement she had been to. On buildings that weren't destroyed, a strange wiring system wove around. There were stands all over the village that smelled of fish. Her strangest discovery yet, however, was a stable of sorts, located in the caves under the village. What in the world did they keep here? This place would be impossible to reach for any livestock I know of. She thought. The place smelled slightly of dragon, but she figured that it was from a raid and that the humans left because of it.

She spread her wings and took off, flying out of the weird village. She was about to head back when she spotted something on the cliff. Its probably just a rock. She thought, but once again, she couldn't help but get a closer look. She landed at the base of the cliff, before slowly making her way up to the top. When she was a few feet away from the thing, her eyes widened and she gasped...

For in front of her, in the pouring rain, lay a motionless black-scaled dragon.