Dragon Dreams

Chapter 8: Claws and Smoke (2/2)

Ares was only a few paces away now, his teeth bared like mine. No, was he...smiling? "This is much better, Ayreth," he said. "Don't you think? Underneath it all, you are strong, I can see it now. You are capable of so much more. It's why I came to see you." He started moving sideways, tracing an arc that I followed opposite him. As we circled, the flickering light played across his gold markings, making them dance with sinister allure. "But you have a lot to learn, and this fight is far from over, hatchling. Show me any more weakness, and I will make you sorely regret it."

Ares crouched like a tiger and leaped at me again, leading with his keen talons. Before, I might have tried to dodge the attack or otherwise evade, but not now. I never hesitated as I let out a bloodthirsty roar and flew at my challenger. We collided, and his spiked head slammed into my neck. He sunk his teeth into my shoulder and I responded by clawing red streaks down his neck. The other dragon let go and shoved me back a few steps. Ares glared at me, planning his next attack. He jumped at me but came up short and landed sideways right in front of me. I took the opportunity to rear up and prepare my attack. But I didn't see the real reason he had stopped: his tail.

It came whipping out of the darkness and cracked me across the head before I could land my blow. I moaned weakly and dropped to the ground, bloodied and stunned. Warmth trickled down into my eyes and mouth from cuts on my face made by the sharp tail spikes.

Ares lowered his head over my fallen frame and said, "Well fought, but you haven't seen all my tricks. There's good fight in you, Ayreth. This human nonsense just gets in the way. I will see you again soon, I think. The future needs more dragons like you and me. When the time is right, you'll see." The last words were a whisper, the hot breath settling on my neck. Then he slunk away, receding into the shadowy forest.

My blood was boiling. "Ares thinks he's beaten me?" I thought. "Now he's running away. I'll show him what I've got left." I was running on bloodlust and madness. The aches in my body were nothing compared to my desire to fight back. I got back on my feet and plodded ahead. Ares was nowhere in sight, but I could hunt him even in the darkness. My ears and nose were all I needed. The blood of my attacker led me onward, and the trail on the ground was obvious to my draconic senses. I plunged into the forest, hearing an occasional twig snap ahead of me. I was closing in; the scent was getting stronger.

I broke into a run. "Where's my weakness now?" I roared. The sound fractured into echoes and dissipated through the trees. The heaving breaths in my chest drowned out the sound of my rapid footfalls as I ran. Claws dug into the flesh of the earth, but they drew no blood. I wanted his blood. I tasted his blood. It was so close now. I opened my jaws, readying them for my attack. The shape in front of me was silent now. Maybe he had stopped moving? I was mere steps away. Then, I smelled something different. Was this not Ares? I paid no attention. I was a speeding bullet—I couldn't be stopped. So I sprung at my prey, teeth and claws slicing through shadows, then warm flesh.

A scream erupted in the air. A human scream.

Confusion tore at my mind. The thing I attacked was not a dragon at all. I let go of my victim and backed away, leaving the body lying in the dirt. Then, a beam shone down through the trees like a spotlight, illuminating a circle of earth in front of me. It was only at that moment I realized with horror what I had done. The body of my sister lay on the ground, clearly dead.

Alex? How?

I had been tricked. Ares did this to me. Memories of my family flooded back to me. I was back in my room, embracing my sister and sobbing, reliving the memory that was less than a day old but felt as moving as a well-worn childhood remembrance. The aggression that had overcome my mind was weakening. My human mind started to regain control, and I could understand the savage scene before me.

"No," I whispered, watching rivers of blood run out of my sister's body. The smell of it was in my nose, the taste still on my tongue. It tasted...good. This had gone way too far. I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in my claws. "No no no no. NO!" was all I could say, repeating the word as my ragged growl of a voice got louder and louder. Moments later, mercifully, all of the horror around me faded away along with my senses.

"ALEX!" I screamed. My breath ran out, and I sputtered and coughed. The jerking movement made me aware of something pressed to my face and neck. It was my bedroom carpet. I realized I had fallen on the floor and woken up from the nightmare. There was relief that the dream was finally over, but the horror of what I had done was still fresh. I curled up where I lay and started crying softly.

My door burst open. I looked up and saw the outline of my sister, blurred by my tears. Alex was safe, but the relief I felt at seeing her couldn't erase the memory of my deadly attack. She walked over calmly and knelt down beside me. I averted my eyes and wrapped myself up tighter, wishing I could look at my sister without envisioning a broken corpse. "Get away from me," I said between sobs, "I'm a monster." I was so afraid of myself—afraid of what I was capable of. Ares had been my mirror, showing me the feral power that lurked inside.

Alex ignored me. "Whatever you're talking about," she said softly, "it was just a bad dream. I'm not afraid, and you shouldn't be either. Just relax, okay?" She placed her hand gently on my snout and just left it there, letting me feel the warm, soft contact. I exhaled a slow breath through my nose and tried to tear my mind away from the horrible images in my head. Before long, I started feeling a little better.

I lay my head in her lap. I couldn't remember feeling more vulnerable, and yet so protected. She started to run her hands along the top of my head, between my horns. The contact brought a beautiful calm over me. Unconsciously, a soft rumble started deep in my throat.

"Well, that's a good sign," my sister said with a small laugh. "Now I've got you purring like a kitten."

I was so comfortable being stroked that I didn't even care. Eventually, I decided it was time to wake up for good. So I got up on my four legs and stretched my neck and back out. That felt great, and I wanted to do the same with my wings, but I thought better of it because of the confined space. "Thanks for that," I mumbled as my sister stood up next to me.

"Don't mention it," she replied casually. When she was about to go back out through my door, she paused and looked back around, adding, "And, I won't tell Mom and Dad about this if you don't want me to. I really don't think you should worry about it either; it was just a bad dream, right?" I just looked down at the floor in response, not knowing what to say. "Anyway, see you downstairs." She turned and walked back into her room.

I realized I was still down on all fours, and quickly stood up. The nightmare had shaken me more than I was ready to admit. I was starting to question everything. There was only one thing I knew for sure: my life had suddenly become even more complicated.

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