Freedom and Fury

I. The Arena

The excited and impatient shouts of the Vikings overhead made Raven shut her ears flat against her head in annoyance. She dared not speak her frustration, though, as she knew to save it all for the ring.

As her body was free from the chains that bit into her dark blue scales, the dragon was led obediently into the small wooden pen, waiting for the battle. Some of the shackles -and she could've sworn were put there deliberately- crossed over the ash-colored scars that littered her body from years and years of experience in the arena.

It was nearing time. She could feel it in the air as a loud-voiced Viking announced the two dragons. Her sleek yet powerful body cooled up like a viper ready to strike as she awaited both the visual and the verbal command to burst into the ring.

She noted from some disappointed complaints that today's battle would not be to-the-death, as the dragons felt herself lower her wings in the tiniest movement of disappointment as well. Raven shook her head, her striking green eyes narrowing in preparation.

The horn was sounded. At once, the black dragon leaped out of her pen, breaking down the weak wooden barrier and roaring with all her might and malice towards the sky, showing off her prowess and status as a veteran fighter. She clawed at the ground like a bull ready to charge as she glared firebolts at the dragon whom she would be fighting today.

The Nightmare was large, although not the largest she's ever seen. The glaring difference between him and any other Nightmare she had fought before was that this one was stark white. His body was covered in scars, like her, although his skin was a milky pink color. He growled at the Night Fury, red eyes blazing with madness, before making the first move and charging, maw open in a show of teeth.

Raven leaped to the side immediately, and sprung on lightweight feet at the albino dragon's neck, snapping viciously with her powerful jaws. He rolled to the side, intending to get the smaller dragon off of him, roaring unintelligibly as he did so. The she-dragon locked her mouth in place over her opponent's long, snake-like neck in hopes of draining his energy before he did the same to her.

He shook his head and bucked, before dragging her to the side and slamming the black dragon against the stone wall, making her release her grip as she cried out in pain. The cheers of the crowd did nothing to deter her as she glared at the white beast and snarled.

She charged, attempting to ram her head into his chest. The Nightmare sidestepped her attack, and slashed at her with his hook-like claws, Raven rolled to avoid his sharp talons, before bringing her tail around and smacking him with the flat end. She spun on her forelegs, then lunged again while her opponent was momentarily distracted.

The Nightmare roared as Raven both felt and saw her claws cut skin, and red blood began seeping out from the slash marks and contrasting against the white of his scales. She extended her arm for another blow, but he snapped at her paw, forcing her to pull back.

The two dragons began circling each other at a standstill, the Nightmare slightly weakened from his fresh wound, but Raven still had loads of fight left in her.

She leaped forward, ramming the larger dragon in the shoulder and bringing him to the ground, as her claws takes over his exposed underbelly. He slashed and bit and roared at the Night Fury, righting himself and giving the dark dragon two new cuts on the side of her neck from his wing-claws. Raven whipped her tail, knocking his extended wing away as she bit into his arm hard enough to taste blood.

She felt a sudden flash of pain in her back as the Nightmare managed to graze her spine with his menacing teeth. She kicked under his raised arm as he tried to shake her off, and felt her back claws connect with scales, then a warm liquid stuck to them as she clawed at his leg and side again.

The dragon shook her off with a powerful wingbeat, throwing the smaller and lighter dragon to the ground. To a dragon that didn't have years of built-up resistance to the rough stone, skidding against the floor would've hurt. Raven simply growled and stood on still-strong legs. Her opponent was weakening with every attack, that much was clear.

Raven felt her muscles tense up in anticipation as the albino beast thundered towards her, red eyes glowing with anger. She met his force head-on, rearing up and extending her claws, raking them towards his exposed face. One paw cut across his nose bridge, and the other slashed dangerously close to the monster's eye. He retreated at once, growling and whimpering in pain.

Before she could make another move, however, another horn sounded, signawing the end of the match. The crowd went wild; they always did for the Night Fury.

Her master stepped into the ring from her pen, striding confidently to the other side to retrieve his prized fighter. As much as Raven hated the chains and shackles they always were out in for traveling, she didn't make a move except when explicitly told to as he chained her up and led her to his boat.

The fight had been nothing new for her, no almost-defeats, no real show for the spectators, not even remotely interesting, according to her master. He merely gave her a couple of fish and the leg of a ram for her work. The dragon snapped up the meat hungrily, but not too eagerly to let the Viking know how starving she really was.

That was the rule. You do good, you eat. You do poorly, lose, or are disobedient, you starve. She had learned that early on. It was not a glorious life, not by a long shot, nor was it luxurious, but it was the only life Raven had ever known.