The Ashen Wrath (Watty's SHORTLIST recipient 2018) CHAPTERED VERSION

*38

I ran through the prairie, my heart racing faster than my feet. There was no time to worry about beasts hiding the grass. Something was stirring the ground beneath me but I did my best to ignore it.

A grin wiped across my face as I neared the edge of the prairie. Daun was signaling to me from the top of the cliff.

Something was wrong. Daun's arms were waving erratically, almost flailing. She looked terrified. "Behind you!" she finally screamed.

The rumble returned. I looked over my shoulder in dread. An array of sharp spines attached to a massive, black silhouette rose from the shadows. A flat, diamond-shaped head lurched out of the grass, tracking me with a pair of crimson eyes. My legs flailed as I started to sprint toward the closest hill.

I fought the urge to look again but couldn't help myself. The ebony segments of the metallic serpent glinted in the moonlight as it slithered through the plain. The cliff was shaking as I thrust myself against it and began to climb. Before I could reach the the top of the precipice, the hulking snake bashed its head against the rocks below me and my grip faltered. A pair of shaking hands wrapped around my wrist, stopping my fall. I hooked my toes into a narrow crag, regaining my balance as Daun tugged on my arm with all her might.

With Daun's help, I heaved my body up and over the crest of the cliff. The serpent's ratcheting segments echoed up the rock face as it coiled in frustration. It loosed a crackling hiss, revealing a mouth full of jagged teeth before turning away abruptly to undulate back to the darkness.