Free at last

The dragon roared in feiry anger and spit as he ripped at the tiny creatures assailing him. His green stained claws tore and his muscle sinew bulged out of his thick scales. Blood poured down his sides and over his face and he again threw himself against the massing horde of hostile beings. The angry mob poured out of some bottomless fountain within the cold mountain and flowed into the small tight cavern in which he now fought. Family after family, clan after clan, tribe after tribe came at him seething anger until the whole dwarven race seemed to be against him. He glanced at the menacing bristling horde before him before diving savagely into the midst of them. They screamed as they were destroyed by the vicious onslaught of the maddened dragon. He belched a wall of acid and flame at the crowd and lunged again.

The heavy thumps of the Dwarven war chant echoed throughout the network of underground tunnels. Near the constricted entrance to the airless cavern a burly thick bearded dwarf crashed down upon a mighty drum with carved wooden mallets creating a sound that vibrated the walls and held the weakest dwarven warrior in a deathly trance. The dwarves ornate metal war helmets littered the edges of the floor in the cavern and lumps of warm bleeding flesh were tossed about and tripped upon throughout the scene of terrible carnage.

Hundreds of years of dragon blood instinct drove the dragon onward against the blood-thirsty army. Upon the unfortunate dwarf beating the drum the dragon threw himself and ripped the drum and the drummer to shreds. Farther back in the rough-hewn cave another thundering bass drum sounded. The dwarves swirled about him and attacked viciously from all sides.

In frustration the dragon embedded his claws in one of the leaders close to him and hurled him at the back wall. The force of the blow crumbled part of the wall and a burning silver beam of noonday light peered through and cut him down.

The blast of freedom refreshed the leviathan dragon and he charged through the crowd throwing unfortunate souls and carcasses in front of him at the wall crushing it further. Reaching the wall, the dragon slammed his full force upon it dissolving rock into blasting midday sun.

With a mighty leap came the thundering blasts of beating wings as the dragon sailed into the wind. Below the angry cries and threats of the remaining dwarves emanated up to him. As he flew higher he shook off the dead carcasses clinging to his body with a silent rush of air into the abyss of space. The bloodstained dragon rose higher into the blushing day sky ascending to freedom. As the winds of the crisp sky whipped around his massive body his wings filled with the breath of life.

Below the land fell away, along with the misery and the relentless torture of the last seemingly endless years of imprisonment. But that was not on his mind; he flew higher and higher until the land below looked like a small colorful map.

He searched the blue clear sky until he finally found what he was looking for. He sped toward the snowy speck in the distance riding the winds on his way. He collided into it leaving a wispy trail behind his thundering body. The exhilarating moments of tingling ecstasy were enthralling. The rush of cold stinging moisture against his face were a long awaited fantasy after the seeming eternity away from his sky. Then he was bursting from the other side of the cloud sending large powder puffs of crystal mist rolling out onto the breeze.

The moment was made and he simply let himself fall with his wings extended following where the breeze would take him. Sometimes dropping suddenly on a downdraft, and others being lifted so swiftly that his wings could barely hold the blasts of chaotic wind. The dragon frolicked in his playground and ran wild with the sweet scent of freedom.

When the day began to wane and mesh with the whisperings of night he grew tired. He dived through the air searching the landscape below as he charged. He would alter his course only for the occasional cloud where he would bask himself in the small twinges of golden moisture as he sped through. After a minute or two he found what he'd been looking for: a lake, looking like a deep green emerald embedded in the lush forest land below. He doubled his speed using the hammering force of gravity added to his massive wing power. He screamed through the crisp ringing dusk air toward the fast approaching land below. Every once in a while a small cloud would cross his path and he would be rewarded with a damp sharp shower of water. As the dragon screamed downward and the land loomed closer he put the last of his energy into a last push against the speeding air. Then right before he slammed into the lake he folded his wings back against his body. As he hit the crystal blue lake he plunged deep beneath the water leaving a tremendous watery cavern in his wake and creating waves enough to immerse the shores with half of the lake. Deep beneath the surface, the dragon, play weary and battle-sore, entered his lair to rest.

The happy azure of the heavens sweetly faded purple through the leafy boughs of the forest. In the Western sky the sun burned thruogh the final clouds and set on a world free at last.
Back to Literature