The day of Daegal’s trip to the mountain in search of a new home for himself came, and he was nervously excited about it as he idly scratched on a nearby tree. Adelaide was supportive of him, seeing him off with some words of encouragement and a few snacks, including a meat pie. He was thankful for her consideration, and it allowed him to focus more on the task at hand as he crossed the river and began the journey into the woods.
He was confident in his ability to follow the now familiar scent of the human village back to its source, and it wasn’t like the mountain was extremely far away regardless. The journey took maybe half an hour of uninterrupted travel. Despite growing out of his fear for many of the animals that lived in the woods, he was still a little jumpy when there were sounds that he could not immediately identify. A part of him realized that he was being silly for acting that way, but it seemed he had become dependent on Adelaide to the point where her absence had caused unease.
With a deep breath he tried to steady himself as he neared the base of the mountain. There was no guarantee that he would find a suitable place to live around here, but it was the best option he had for the time being. His journey took him up and around the base as he hiked the sloping hills and jagged rocks in search of something resembling shelter. There were a few large rocks that were balanced in such a way that he could fit under, but they weren’t all that roomy, or comfortable. They would be a last resort if it came to it, but for now, he kept looking.
He walked around nearly half of the mountain looking for something when at last an interesting location revealed itself to him. There was a narrow gap in the side of the cliff face that looked to go deeper into the ground. Excited, he approached the hole and gazed deeper into the dark. There were no strange smells coming from within, so it didn’t seem like it had any inhabitants. He had to turn sideways a little to fit inside, but it was only a minor inconvenience.
The tunnel continued downward with a slight slope for a few meters before it opened up into a small cave. It didn’t have the most room, but it was enough that he could stretch out on the floor if he wanted with space to spare. He had found it, his new home.
Elation filled him as he explored every inch of the floor and walls in the dim cave to make sure that there was nothing to miss. Nothing but stone, some of it a little rough, but he would have plenty of time to work out solutions for that. For now, he was just excited to report back his success to Adelaide. He looked forward to her praise as it always made him feel light on his feet.
He made the return trip in half the time due to his eagerness, though it was largely for naught as Adelaide wasn’t at the river waiting for him. His excitement was somewhat dampened by that, but he could wait as it wasn’t unusual for her to spend most of her day at the village before coming to see him. It was a few hours later when she finally showed up, and he eagerly shared the news about his finding.
“Really?” she said, excited for him as he concluded the recounting. “That sounds perfect for you! Maybe you can use some of the furs from your catches to soften up the floor and make it more comfortable? I’m sure that we can find something that will make it at least feel like a real home to you.”
He wanted his home to be with her, and the fact that he was moving even further away now just to sleep was disappointing. Still, Daegal understood the limitations of their friendship, even if he desired more, so he just enjoyed her presence and enthusiasm as she happily chatted away with him about his new home.
Over the next few weeks, Daegal worked on making his little den more comfortable. The most difficult part of that process was smoothing out some of the rough ground to be more livable. He didn’t have a lot to work with, so he simply took the hardest rocks he could find and started grinding them against those places until they were relatively smooth. What he couldn’t grind down, he covered in layers of fur hides that he had stripped off his meals. In the end, he had a functioning bed that would only get softer the more he hunted.
Life continued apace for Daegal. The seasons shifted once more, and his body continued to change. As his height increased again, Daegal noticed his scales also felt harder than before. Even his own claws, which were as sharp as knives, had trouble piercing his hide unless he put significant force behind them. His tail became thick and muscular as well, offering considerable force and range of movement when he swung it around. He shot up in size again, now growing to be a little larger than any of the adult humans in Adelaide’s village. His horns also curved more now, twisting as they pointed behind him.
It seemed like with every passing year his prospects of joining the village got smaller and smaller. After two years he wasn’t holding out much hope that they would change their minds about him. Even Adelaide was saying that he was starting to look very fierce, even if it was in a playful manner as she joked about him being able to fight off big bears now. He could hunt deer easily enough now, sure, but he did not want to even test whether he could handle a bear or not. Some of them looked truly monstrous in size, with claws and teeth that looked to be a match for his own.
Adelaide was twelve now, and she had grown a few inches over the last several months, which she was frustrated by when looking at how Daegal sprouted like a tree year after year. She complained, and he usually laughed, which more often than not ended with Adelaide angrily trying to climb him and ineffectively pound her little fist on his head, attempting to curse him to shrink again. Despite having to be extra gentle with her, he liked playing. It made him feel wanted, and normal.
Such was the time in his life where he experienced the mixed feelings of being disappointed and happy at the same time. He wanted more but was content with what he already had. So long as she remained his friend, he didn’t need anything else. It was this sensation that made him feel something new once again. Love.
He loved her, and he wondered if this is what it felt like to be a part of a family. To share your time, your affections, and your happiness with those close to you. Daegal might have lacked the real thing like that shared between Adelaide and her family, but if it was anything remotely like this, it was no wonder the humans were so protective of their young ones. As it stood, he would gladly charge at the biggest bear in this forest to keep her safe. Family was certainly something special, which made losing it scarier than anything else.
The year crawled by at times, and at others it seemingly leapt forward without a care in the world, disappearing into yesterday. Fall was starting to creep in on the world, sapping everything of its warmth as nature prepared for the coming winter, Daegal’s least favorite time of the year. He always had to go out on extra hunting trips in order to have enough meat available. Most of the animals went into hiding as the snow started to fall, after all.
He stirred from his sleep atop the, at this point, rather large pile of furry hides. Leaning against the wall of the cave was the little straw doll that Adelaide gave him, its presence always a welcome thing. Stretching as much as he could in the cave, the light from outside made it clear that it was early in the morning. Daegal figured he should get a start on the day, so he dragged himself off the warm pile and prepared himself to face to frigid morning air.
The icy breath of morning washed over him as he emerged from the shadows of the mountain. Now outside, he lifted his arms high into the air as he stretched once more, inhaling deeply as he did so. That breath he took hit him with a jolt straight to the system as he smelled a familiar, yet much stronger than normal smell. Smoke.
The acrid scent of smoke was in the air, normally not very detectable at the distance he was from the village, but now clear as if he was standing next to the fire. All four of his eyes immediately turned to the direction of the village, and what he saw made them widen in surprise. There was a dark cloud seemingly erupting from the village and traveling high into the air. Normally there were a few strands of grey and black smoke that could be seen from that direction, but this was far too much. He didn’t know what it meant exactly, but a knotted pit of worry formed in his stomach that drove him into action.
Daegal ran through the forest, heart pounding nearly in time with his feet on the ground. He practically flew between the trees, snapping branches against his scales as he went and clearing the whole river in a single leap. The smell of smoke got thicker, and soon enough he ran into a thin cloud of it that floated lower on the ground. It stung his eyes and clawed at his throat, making him cough. This confirmed his worries, which only evolved them into fear.
As he approached the edge of the forest, he could see the village through the break in the trees, or at least what was left of it. Fire. Everything was on fire! The flames roared and crackled as tongues of flame lashed upward into the air. He had never seen anything like this before, and didn’t know what to do for a moment before snapping out his stunned state. It was obvious; he had to find Adelaide.
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He ran in a straight line across the open field, crossing well beyond the threshold of how close he had been before. Under normal circumstances, entering the village would have been a dream come true, but now it was a nightmare blacker than a moonless night. There was so much smoke in the air, and the heat washed over his body, banishing the cold of winter that was threatening to take over the world in the worst way possible.
Daegal rushed by burning buildings, eyes twitching all over the place as he scanned his surroundings for a familiar figure. There was so much chaos everywhere as buildings were starting to collapse and the fire spread. He kept moving at a hurried pace, trying not to miss even the smallest detail as he looked for any sign of Adelaide. What he found instead were the other residents.
There were bodies lying strewn about between the buildings. They were covered in various injuries, cuts, stabs, and some simply bleeding from the head, wounds obscured by their hair. Men and women were like this, no distinction or benefit given to one or the other. None of them drew breath, and he couldn’t hear their heartbeats as he walked by. They were dead, and his panic only grew.
“Adelaide! Adelaide, please answer me!” He shouted her name everywhere he went, hoping that he would hear something in return as he ran around near blindly, only stumbling across more bodies as he went.
Suddenly he heard something. It was faint beneath the overwhelming sound of the fire, but it sounded like somebody coughing. He latched onto the noise and followed it to the source. There was a house with its roof completely ablaze, and inside the coughing and weak voice somebody calling for help came from within. He couldn’t tell if it was Adelaide or not, but he had to help regardless.
Trying the door, he found that it was blocked by something on the other side. Frustrated, he pulled back his fist and punched a hole straight through the wood before gripping around the breach. With leverage established, he ripped the whole thing off its hinges and tossed it aside before bending over to enter.
The air inside was blackened with smoke, and the blockage in front of the door was a variety of furniture that seemed like it was placed to keep somebody out. Daegal had to climb over it, stumbling and crashing through the blockade. He remained hunched over slightly while standing inside the main room, and he saw the person who was making the noise.
It wasn’t Adelaide. There was another human woman here on the floor with raven black hair and a face covered in soot as she looked up at him wide eyed with fear. Before he could process what to do or say, the roof groaned as a support beam started to snap, bringing the ceiling down. Without even thinking, he lunged forward toward the woman as she shrieked in panic. He made it just in time, shielding the woman as the wooden support beam and burning debris fell onto his back. The fire didn’t bother him too much. It was hot, sure, but his scales were thick enough that it couldn’t burn him easily.
The lady was staring at him in shock as she lay beneath his body. The weight of the debris was pressing down on him, but it was manageable. Daegal started to shift his body around, getting his legs under him as he gripped the burning support beam on his back. With a growl of effort, he managed to toss the beam off him and clear of the woman.
Now that the immediate danger had passed, he looked around and tried to figure out the best way out. The furniture in front of the door had caught fire now, so that wasn’t going to work. The only other thing he could think of was the newly opened hole in the roof. Figuring that was the best option, he reached down to grab the woman. She yelped as he lifted her and tossed her over his shoulder. Reaching up, he gripped the edge of the hole that was made before leaping as hard as he could, using his free hand to pull them both up and out of danger.
They were outside of the building now, so he ran quickly toward the outskirts of the village. Once far enough away from the fire, he dropped the woman onto the grass. She was coughing and clearly panicked, but she did not appear to be seriously injured in any way. Figuring she would be fine here; he immediately turned and ran back into the burning village in search of Adelaide.
The minutes that he spent looking felt like hours. Everywhere he looked there was more destruction and death. He didn’t understand how this could happen, or why it happened. All he wanted was for her to be safe, that’s the only thing he wished for as he ran around wildly, checking every body he came across for any sign of her.
When he had just finished checking about two-thirds of the village, he rounded the corner of a collapsed building and froze. He found her, there on the ground lying face down in the mud. There were two others lying next to her as well, a man and a woman both. Probably her parents, but he didn’t know them and was only concerned with Adelaide as he felt his chest tighten to such a degree that it was difficult to breath.
He rushed forward, sliding in on his knees as he came to a stop just over her. There was a small knife on the ground next to her with blood on the blade. It didn’t smell like hers. With trembling, yet gentle hands, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her over. His breath caught in his throat.
The front of her dress was soaked in mud and blood; a single puncture wound in her chest the cause and having long since stopped bleeding. Her face was pale, her eyes closed, her body still as he held her.
He couldn’t breathe.
Daegal’s body began to shake, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to talk his way through the situation but failing to get a single word out. He couldn’t hear her heartbeat. She was cold in his grasp.
He couldn’t breathe.
His vision was starting to get blurry as tears built up in his eyes. She couldn’t be dead. It wasn’t possible. He didn’t understand.
He couldn’t breathe.
The edges of his vision began to turn black as his sight narrowed. The noise of the fire all around him began to fade into the background as it was replaced by the sound of his own heart beating ever louder in his ears. It didn’t make sense.
He couldn’t breathe.
There was so much blood.
He couldn’t breathe.
There had to be something he could do.
He couldn’t breathe.
His heart was so loud!
He couldn’t breathe.
He couldn’t breathe.
He couldn’t breathe.
He...
Darkness. Everything was black. Sensation was muted and fuzzy at best, like a thick fog wrapped around his brain. He began to feel a slight sway side to side as well as a gentle pressure that came and went on his feet. He sniffed.
Left...
Left? He didn’t understand what was happening, he just knew that he had to follow something, and it was going left. If he was following, then that meant he was moving, right? His vision began to come into focus again as he stared at the dark, slowly moving ground beneath him. With rhythmic steps his feet moved numbly, carrying him forward.
What’s happening? he thought to himself. Where am I?
His mind was slowly waking up. Daegal realized that he was walking through the woods, and it was already night.
Why am I here? What was I doing? There was... fire, and blood. I remember... Adelaide!
He snapped to attention, his foggy mind sharpening instantly. Daegal didn’t recognize whatever part of the forest he was in, but just as he was deciding whether to follow his own scent back, he saw a light through the trees up ahead. The scent that he had been following was heading in that direction. His pulse began to quicken again. Whatever was over there, he knew deep down that he wouldn’t like it, but at the same time, he couldn’t ignore it.
Daegal moved closer, his body reacting almost without his commands. As he approached, noises could be heard, that of people talking in raucous voices. Drawn in by the sounds, he reached the point where he could see through a break in the trees, and what he saw broke his already fragile mind.
There were humans in this clearing, dozens of them, and all men from the looks of things. They were moving amongst many tents and scattered fires, all of them seeming to be in a jovial mood as they laughed, ate, and drank. Despite appearances to the contrary, Daegal knew this was not a celebration of anything good. He could smell blood on them, see the ash and soot smeared across some of their features. These people attacked the village, hurt others, and he could only think of one question.
Why?
A group was dancing by the fire, drinking heavily as they bounced off one another.
Why are you happy?
Somebody told a joke and laughter sprung up from that part of the camp.
You... you killed them.
A freshly cooked pig was brought out and immediately set upon by the hungry group.
You killed Ade-
His thoughts were interrupted when his eyes feel upon a wooden table that held a plethora of various items that were looted from the village. A man was sorting through the contents, idly examining anything for its potential worth. As he did so, he picked up a very familiar pile of wooden slabs. Adelaide’s drawings.
The man shuffled through the stack for a moment, examining the various drawings of flowers and scenery, some of which Daegal helped her set up. After a moment of this, the man grabbed the whole pile, and with casual disregard, threw them onto the nearest fire.
Daegal’s whole body seized as he watched it happen, mouth hanging agape in shock. The wooden slabs lay scattered around the firepit, some already starting to catch alight. Those drawings each contained hours of Adelaide’s life, her hopes, her dreams, and these men were burning them like they were worthless.
Hot tears seared a trail down the side of Daegal’s face as his body shuddered with every breath. Pained gasps and choked sounds were the only thing that managed to come out of him as his mind fractured into a million pieces of discordant thought. Amidst the chaos of mind and body, his mouth steadily closed shut, lips pressed together with a whimper.
It started slowly, at first. His lips that had been quivering began to set in place as his jaw locked tight. His body, once shivering and shuddering with pained emotions, now began to twitch and tighten. The muscles beneath his scales started to bulge as he clenched his fists tight, claws digging into the palm of his hands and drawing blood. The pressure inside his body was growing, making his bones creak and his neck crackle and pop from the strain. Every fiber of his being felt like rope that was twisted one too many times as his teeth were bared and grinding against one another.
It was in that moment that he experienced an emotion he had never felt before...
