Becoming a Dragon

by Holland, Andy

  He looked up and surveyed the scene. The attack was over. It had been a roaring success, just as predicted. Their losses had been minimal; the blue town had been utterly destroyed and the population completely wiped out. Thousands had been killed, the defenders outnumbered and unprepared, and the Reds easily eliminated the few Blue Dragons that managed to take to the air within the first few minutes. Pete was glad he wasn't one of those assigned to finish off those on the ground. There wasn't a town that didn't have children in and Blue Dragons or not he couldn't stomach the idea of having to slaughter children. He had been patrolling the perimeter of the town, helping finish off the last few stragglers while the rest of the army massacred those on the ground. He had been very unfortunate to have had to face two at once. They wouldn't have lived very much longer, and their bodies were probably among the corpses surrounding him.

  All over the town, fires were raging, the smoke beginning to fill the skies above—something that would surely be noticed by any Blue Dragons passing by for miles around. Pete knew that he would need to act quickly if he wanted any chance of escape. He pulled himself off the ground and onto his feet. He stretched out his injured wing; it was shredded badly, but not nearly as painful as he expected. He examined the rest of his body, and was surprised to find that miraculously he was uninjured other than his shredded wing.

  The sky was emptying of dragons. The attack was over, and his comrades were leaving, unaware of his fate. They were already too far away for him to call to, and would be bent on departing quickly before reinforcements arrived.

  His only chance was to head for the border, and quickly. He could hide better as a human, but move much more quickly as a dragon. There were no Blues in the air yet so he decided to risk it and delay transforming in order to cover more ground and get away from the town.

  Unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of the town, just outside the outskirts to the east. He didn't know how wide the town was or whether there was any cover all around the town, but he knew that there was thick forest on the west side of the town. There was nothing for it, he just had to move as quickly as possible through the town and hope that he wasn't seen. He ran as fast as he could, bursting into the open from the woods surrounding the town and charging down the main street.

  He was not at all surprised to see that the place was littered with dead Blue Dragons, their corpses torn to pieces. The battle in the air had been brutal, and he could see that it was a similar situation on the ground; a one sided one due to the Red Dragon's greater size and numbers. What shocked him were the human bodies, almost all of which were come rely blackened, having being burned alive. He knew their mission was to kill as many as possible, it just didn't occur to him that it included so many young people as well. As he continued running through the town, he saw a sight that sickened him to the stomach: a very small corpse, still smoking, that must have been a young child, perhaps no older than three. Was this really carried out under orders? Or did his fellow soldiers get carried away in the moment and stoop to such a terrible act? He slowed for a second but couldn't stop, turning his attention back to escaping, but he just couldn't get that disturbing image out of his mind.

  He also saw a few Red Dragons amongst the dead; like him, with serious wing injuries, having fallen from even higher up and without anything to break their fall. Their badly broken bodies were dotted throughout the town—far fewer than the Blues, but still more than he had hoped. Wait; was that one moving? He paused, prodding it with his foot to see if it would respond.

  Hey, that hurts! It was a female Red Dragon, who rolled over and got to her feet, shaking her head groggily.

  That'll be nothing compared to what will happen if we're caught, Pete told her. We have to get out of here, and fast!

  I must have been knocked out when I fell, she replied, still a little unsteady on her feet. Which way do we go?

  This way; follow me. Run as fast as you can.

  Pete started running again, his new companion following him. He glanced back a couple of times to make sure she was keeping up, and saw she was matching his pace. They moved swiftly through the town, running past the many dead bodies but seeing no more survivors.

  Almost out of the town, Pete told her, seeing trees up ahead. Just a little further.

  They sped up, desperately trying to get out of the open spaces of the town into the trees. Just as they reached the edge of the town they saw three Red Dragons running in parallel to them.

  Hey, Pete called. Over here!

  The three dragons glanced over to look at them briefly, but did not slow or change direction, continuing their run towards the forest. It wasn't until they had reached the cover of the trees that they turned towards Pete and his new companion.

  Made it, the female Red Dragon said, slowing as they moved through the trees.

  I wouldn't go that far, one of the three Red Dragons said, emerging from the path beside them. We have a long way to go yet.

  Neither would I, Pete agreed. We need to put as much distance between this place and ourselves as quickly as possible. We don't know how long we have before more Blues arrive.

  My guess is not very long, said the new dragon, I'm Hill, squadron leader, under Captain Black of the second unit. You?

  Pete Farmer, he replied. Private Farmer of the seventh unit.

  Private Anna West of the fifth unit, his companion informed them.

  Right, Privates. Fall in behind Privates Forest and Butcher. We can't afford to stop, not even for a minute.

  Hill started heading west again, and the others all followed him in single file with Pete and Anna at the back. Hill set a tough pace, which Forest and Butcher seemed to be handling well but Anna was starting to lag behind the group. They were on a gentle incline, and Pete found that he was starting to tire as well.

  Sir, Pete called, we're losing Anna at the back.

  That's too bad, Hill replied unsympathetically. But we can't afford to slow. Tell her to just keep heading west if she loses us.

  Pete was a little shocked at first, but realised that there was nothing any of them could do if they were spotted. Their only chance was to get out of there and quickly. He looked back and saw that Anna had fallen quite a way behind already. He slowed to let her catch up.

  You have to keep going, he told her. They won't wait.

  They shouldn't, Anna told him. Neither should you. You can't help me. All we can do is run. She was trying to hide it, but her voice conveyed her fear.

  True, Pete replied. But I won't leave you behind.

  Anna said nothing for a moment. Thanks, she replied eventually, running along with him.

  They continued to run for some time, their clawed feet becoming sore as they were not used to running for this long. All five of them were tiring, but knew they had to keep moving. Finally they slowed to jog, not even Hill having the energy to maintain the pace any longer, and Pete and Anna caught up with them.

  Transform, sir? Pete asked. Are we far enough yet?

  Just before he could answer, a loud screech above them caught their attention. They all looked up. Two Blue Dragons were circling above them.

  Now what? Pete asked Hill. What's your plan?

  Hill was still staring at the sky. I'm not sure if it makes much difference what we do now. We've been seen.

  What! You can't be giving up?

  What I do is irrelevant. None of us can fly. Those two are going to fly above us until they are joined by reinforcements. They have no need to attack us yet so they'll wait until they have the numbers to finish us easily. We can keep moving, but we won't achieve anything. They can keep up easily.

  Let them keep up. We might find a cave or something.

  Hill shook his head. It's hopeless. They're being too cautious. If the two of them landed or tried to attack from the air, we might have a chance of killing them, but they're going to wait.

  Pete shook his head. This is crazy. We keep moving. Maybe it achieves nothing but we're no worse off than here. We
just need to survive till nightfall; then we can escape on foot.

  Do you not remember how far we flew? Hill asked him. It may not have seemed far to you at the time but to walk that far would take at least two days.

  Pete clawed at the ground irritably. I don't see what choice we have. If I'm going to die today, I at least want to do so while trying to escape, not sitting here having given up.

  We're in the trees here, Hill replied flatly. They have to attack us on the ground. With the five of us together, we will be able to take some of them with us. If we move we expose ourselves to attacks from the air; they could finish us off much more easily and probably without any chance of us taking some of them out.

  Pete glared at him, angry wisps of flame appearing in his nostrils. I'm not going to give up just because you have. We still could make it.

  Hill shook his head. No, we can't. This was our mission; to kill as many of them as we can. If I'm going to die it's going to be doing my duty.

  Anna intervened. This forest looked pretty large; we could move for some time before we lose the protection of the trees. We don't know how long it will take before reinforcements arrive. Why not keep moving till we get to the other side of this forest. We may find a better place to make a stand.

  Hill glanced at the other dragons, who looked at him blankly. I guess it makes no difference. But we'll slow down; I want to conserve my energy for the fight.

  Pete didn't argue; the pace was too much for Anna anyway. Hill set off at a reasonable pace. Perhaps he still wanted to live after all.

  The two Blue Dragons circled as they ran, ignoring opportunities to attack when they materialised. They were clearly waiting for reinforcements, who were slow in coming.

  Stop! Pete called to the others. I have an idea.

  Hill stopped and turned to face him. Go on, tell us. What's your idea?

  There are two of them, and five of us. Following us is easy like this. If we split up into five, they could only follow two of us.

  Hill hesitated. I don't know. They wouldn't need to wait for reinforcements. They could pick us off one by one.

  They'd have to find us first. But I don't think they would. They're being very cautious; they could have attacked when we went across that field a few minutes ago but they let us get back into cover.

  Hill mulled it over for a few seconds before responding. Alright, we can try it. Our current plan isn't going to work so this can't be worse. How did you want to do this?

  We're all heading west at the moment. One of us, preferably the slowest, continues west. The fastest two of us goes north and south. Then the other two head north west and south west.

  Why would we head north or south? We will just be running in parallel to the border.

  We don't do it for long. Just count to five hundred slowly while running. Once you've reached five hundred, look to see if you're being tracked. If you're not, turn west and run that way. Wait for a while and then turn back to the centre, so if you went south or south west, head north west.

  What about the two who are being tracked?

  They also turn west, but they walk at first. Count to a thousand, and then start running again. Their chances won't be any worse than they are now, but the other three might escape.

  Hill thought for a minute. It's worth a try. West, you'll be heading west, to keep things simple. I'll head north. Forest will head south, Butcher, north west and you Farmer will head south west. Remember, count to five hundred slowly before turning west, and if you're tracked, walk while counting to a thousand before running. All clear? Go!

  The five of them all scattered, and it wasn't long before the others were out of sight. Pete could see the Blue Dragons circling above, screeching angrily and trying to keep track of each of them. Before he had reached one hundred he lost sight of them. He increased his pace, hoping to put as much distance between him and the enemy and knowing that reinforcements could arrive at any minute.

  He reached five hundred, and still no Blue Dragons were visible. Clearly he had been one of the lucky ones. He turned to the west, continuing running at the unsustainable pace he had set. He wondered who had been the unlucky two. He knew none of them, but still felt a little sad knowing that they had no chance of survival.

  Eventually he slowed, unable to keep up the pace any longer. He turned to the north east, hoping to cross the path Anna had taken. Their clawed feet left unmistakeable tracks, so if he crossed her path he should be able to track her down. Unless she was one of the unlucky ones.

  Pete started counting again, wondering he would manage to find any of them in this forest. Part of him hoped not; if he could find them so could the Blue Dragons, but he did miss having company.

  He reached five hundred, and saw no sign of Anna or any of the other dragons. He turned west again; she must have either ran slowly or been taken by the two Blue Dragons. He ran on, glancing up at the sky every now and then for signs of the Blues but seeing nothing. It crossed his mind to transform now that he had lost the Blues they would find it much harder to spot him as a human than as a large, bright red dragon, but he decided not to. He still had a long way to go and could move much quickly like this.

  Pete ran on like this for a while, and had given up hope of finding Anna when he stumbled onto her trail. He hadn't realised quite how easy they were to follow; the broken branches and deep footprints were easy to read. He ran faster, eager to catch up with her now that he knew she was ahead, and since she was ahead, knowing that she must have evaded the Blue Dragons.

  He didn't have to run long before he caught up with her. Hey, Anna. It's Pete!

  The Red Dragon glanced over its shoulder and came to a halt. Hi, Pete. I'm glad you made it. Any sign of the two Blue Dragons?

  None; and no sign of reinforcements either. We're riding our luck at the moment.

  Anna looked at her broken wings. Maybe. I'd have appreciated the luck a little earlier though.

  Pete nodded. Let's not push our luck though, we should keep moving. You can set the pace, I'll run with you.

  Do you think we should transform yet? We are easier to see like this.

  True, but we are faster too and have better eyesight, and they still know roughly where we are. I think we should just concentrate on moving as quickly as we can.

  Anna set off again, running along the path. As dragons there was no way that they could travel on foot without leaving a trail, and Pete soon realised this running behind Anna. Still, it would be hard to spot or follow from the air, so it was worth the risk.

  They had run for about four hours since they left the town now, and they hadn't seen a Blue Dragon for almost three hours. They reached the peak of a hill and could see the mountains and the pass in the distance.

  That looks a long way off, Anna observed.

  It is, Pete replied. I think we have already covered about a third of the way though.

  Maybe, but we have slowed already, and even this pace is getting to be too much for me. We will need to rest soon.

  Agreed; I think we can spare a little time now. Let's transform. We will be able to hide more easily.

  Anna moved behind a tree to transform and Pete did the same. She emerged wearing the standard issue lightweight flying clothes. She looked about the same age as Pete, and had an intelligent, pretty face and an athletic build.

  "Not ideal for sleeping rough," she said, glancing at her clothes, "especially up on that pass."

  "We will worry about that when we get there," Pete replied. "There are plenty of things to worry about between here and there."

  Anna sat down under a tree with wide branches, and Pete sat next to her.

  "Been serving long?" Pete asked.

  "Six months," she replied. "Six months to go. You?"

  "Eighteen months, six to go. How are you escaping after just one year?"

  "There are not many people in my village, and we've been designated a strategic village on the basis that we produce vital supplies. Which just happens to be a hi
gh quality wine that the King is particularly fond of."

  Pete laughed. "Sadly, dairy farmers aren't so important."

  "Farmer by name, farmer by trade, eh?"

  "Of course," Pete replied. "So many generations we've lost count."

  "Although of course you're temporarily not a farmer. Maybe you should be called Pete Soldier."

  "Not any longer," Pete replied sadly. "I won't be flying any time soon, or possibly at all. They'll let me off the last six months, I expect. If I make it back, that is. Your wings didn't look quite as bad. Of course it's both of them, but I think they could mend."

  "They don't hurt when we're like this. Although to be honest the pain of them tearing wasn't that bad when it happened."

  "The landing was much worse," Pete agreed. "I couldn't believe I was still alive after that."

  "My landing is a blur. I can't have been that high or I'd have been splattered over the road, but it was enough to knock me senseless."

  "At least we lived. I saw quite a few that didn't."

  "More of them. The place was covered with their dead. Not enough for me though. I hate them. I hate what they do to us. This should teach them."

  Pete shrugged. "I thought so before today. I'm not sure now. If anything, I think they'll want to attack us even more than before."

  Anna laughed coldly. "They'll be too afraid after this. We massacred them. They now know what we're capable of and what we'll do if they attack us."

  Pete paused. "Did you land? Did you fight on the ground?"

  Anna shook her head. "I didn't see much of the battle. I was injured quite early. No one had landed at that point. Why do you ask?"

  A screech overhead distracted them. They clung to the tree for cover while peering up cautiously through the branches. High above them they saw a Blue Dragon flying past, scanning the ground. They held their breath as it flew away, not daring to move or speak till it was completely out of sight.

  "He's searching," Anna observed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Reinforcements? Or do you think he's one of the first two?"