Hunted

I

Phoenix ran, catching her breath as she looked behind her. She had lost them. She gave a sigh of relief. Her scales rattled as she skidded to a stop. She had been running from the hunters for years.

Suddenly, a dragon's shadow appeared in front of her. She looked up, seeing a dragon picking fruit off a tree. Phoenix tilted her head, calling to the dragon with a greeting. "Hey!" The dragon glided down, and whipped around. Its tail swung over her as she ducked down.

"Uh, sorry." it said. "It's fine. What are you doing out here?" Phoenix asked. "Oh, just gathering fruit." The dragon yawned, setting the fruit on the ground. "Oh, is it for your family?" Phoenix sat down, her tail swaying. "Uhm, if by family you mean, me, myself, and I, then yes!" Phoenix looked at the dragon, whose tail was swaying. "Well, anyways, my name is Phoenix, and you?" She looked at the other dragon, who was smiling. "My name is Merf. Nice meeting you Phoenix!" They both smiled.

Phoenix heard shouts, her ears perking up. "Oh no.. Not again!" she huffed, growling under her breath. "What do you mean?" Merf asked, tilting her head. "We have to go. If the hunters-" She was cut off. "Hunters?" Merf's head tilted, her ears perking up when she heard the word. "Uh-" Phoenix was cut off again, an arrow piercing through the air at the tree trunk. Phoenix was about to fly up, but Merf grabbed her, running off. "Huh?!" Phoenix screeched. Although, she didn't argue.

Merf, surprisingly, was a fast runner. Her tail whipped the air as she ran. Her wings flowed as the wind ran past them. The tips of Merf's paws were shaded gray, as was her body. The only odd part was her right wing. It was a bright shaded red. Phoenix found it fascinating because Merf said that it had bled out, but it was a bright color. It was stained with blood. It's weird because dragon blood is blue, not red. Phoenix thought on this, but only to push it aside for the meantime.

Merf stopped running, catching her breath. "Why are.. Hunters after you?" she breathed, letting Phoenix catch her balance. "Uhm, I.. I ran away from my school..." Phoenix said, biting her lower lip. A nervous act for a dragon. "What's so important about that?" Merf asked. "Well, my school was a fighting school, and a spy school. I ran away because I didn't want to be part of it. The leader of the school, his name is Quicksilver. A grown dragon, shapeshifter too. He's powerful.. And the school teamed up with the hunters." Phoenix explained, sitting down. Merf huffed, acknowledging this. "I will help you, but I need to know something first." Merf said. "What?" Phoenix tilted her head. "What happens if I help you? Will they track me as well?" Merf's question floated around Phoenix's mind. "Yes... And No." she said. "What do you mean?" Merf looked at Phoenix's blue eyes. "They will track you as well, because they want information out of you. They could also make you bait. The no part is because they don't know you well." Phoenix said. "I see. Then I will help best I can. We will be friends until the threat is gone." With that being said, Merf got up, yawned, and started walking away. Phoenix quickly caught up.

"Where do we go now?"

"Away. Far away from the hunters."

"And where would that be?"

"The tallest mountain top. Hurry, we have a long way to go."

And they started their journey.