Post by Kyle Aodhagán † on May 10, 2010 13:13:54 GMT -5
Kyle could not break away from the humans fast enough.
Lillie’s sibling was brave and fearless; daring the shifter with fierce unspoken threats and exuding an aura of distrust that was all too familiar to the dragon. The human would kill and die for his sister, no matter how formidable the foe and he believed there was no one better to save her than himself.
In less dire circumstances the male’s bravery would have moved the dragon. Perhaps even stirred admiration in the shifter. But the circumstances were dire, and he had no time to linger on such trivial human sentiments. The prophet was in danger, and there was no doubt in Kyle’s mind that if he didn’t find her swiftly, she would perish at her kidnapper’s hand.
Anger, guilt and worry tore at the shifter’s insides with a ferocity he hadn’t felt in ages.
The human emotions were so foreign, and yet, so raw, that he had barely sprinted five blocks before a fierce roar escaped his throat; the angry cry drowning out the loud human noises of traffic and activity around him.
Kyle sagged against the back of a building; his chest rising and falling violently as the breath sawed out of him between partially open lips. He felt the sting of his fangs breaching the surface of his gums, and he savored the tingle, wanting nothing more than to sink those pearly points into the throat of the one who had taken Lillie.
The ache in his chest was tremendous, growing with intensity ever moment he wasted.
Taking in a long inhalation of air, the dragon let it out loudly and then he began to run once again, faster, faster, until he was nothing more than a multicolored blur on the gray pavement.
The beast tore at his insides; his other self stretching and clawing to be free of the tight human prison that bound him. Kyle let out a groan of pain as the sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh escaped him; a sickening melody of the human frame contorting into something else.
The black pupils elongated into thin slits within the glowing irises, a dark metallic sheen covering his exposed skin before becoming reptilian scales. Kyle’s appendages lengthened, twisting into positions impossible for normal arms and legs; clawed toes bursting from the tips of the shoes that had been reduced to nothing more than leather strips. Two bulges pushed at the torn fabric at his back, shredding the material as large fibrous wings ruptured the thin skin of his shoulder blades.
When the transformation was finally complete a massive black dragon became a shadow that darkened the sky, blocking the sun’s vibrant rays until it disappeared high into the clouds. The ancient shifter had caught the smell of his reptilian kin on the wind, and he held no uncertainty that the scent belonged to the dragon minion of the sorceress.
Though the tang of evil that he had sensed in Lillie’s apartment was nothing like the distinct aroma he remembered of the witch, he believed she had something to do with the kidnapping. If that was the case he meant to see every one of the wicked creatures slain, and with their deaths, a hope that their master would pursue their executioner.
The immense shadow moved swiftly through the sky; black wings, opalescent fangs, smoke rising from its nostrils. Finally the dragon decreased altitude, spreading out the immense leathery wings and allowing the currents of spring air to guide him lower into the valley where the scent was the strongest.
The cave was enormous; the smell of brimstone heavy on the back of the dragons tongue. Evil lived here.
Landing just within the mouth with a thunderous thud on the damp earth, Kyle moved into the darkness with no fear; only fierce determination.
There were hundreds of them; perhaps a thousand, but the ancient black creature was larger than all of them, and far stronger. He moved inside slowly; glowing silver eyes taking in all that was around him.
Dragons to his right and left approached, growling and spitting fire at the intruder. How dare he breach the sanctity of their lair?
The larger dragon let out a vicious snarl, whipping his tail behind him before breathing flames that came inches from searing many of the others. He seemed poised for a fight.
That is until he shifted, and suddenly a solemn unclothed man stood before them.
“You have lived and died at the whim of a being that holds no regard for your existence save the taste of her own victory as your blood colors the earth.” The human’s voice echoed around the cavern; dominant; steady.
“She has created you for her own purpose, with no intent of ever allowing you the freedom that every living creature deserves.”
Kyle looked around the darkened lair, his eyes meeting the serpentine gazes of the beasts that hung on his word.
“Join me, or die at my hands.” The ancient shifter told them resolutely, devoid of feeling or fear. “Join me and taste the freedom that you have never known.”
The dragons let out a collective breath, as if they were contemplating the proposal. A moment passed and nothing could be heard save the echo of water dripping from a stalactite in the roof of the cave.
Finally, a blood colored dragon stepped forward; his scales marred with the scars of the whippings he had received from the sorceress. He lowered his massive head, bowing before Kyle. Another came forward, this one a deep cobalt hue. He mirrored the first. And then another, and another and another…
