Thread: The Diverted Path (DareToDream & Hahvy)

He knew he was a good archer, better than most hed come up against but deep down hed never really believed he had the skill to take down a dragon. Not until the first arrow pierced its wing, that is. The roar that echoed through the sky when it hit shook him to his marrow, tremors sliding through his muscles instantly. That was the cry of a wounded beast, a beast that could devour him whole if it chose, and for the first time, he was truly scared for his welfare. If he died now, his mother would go next, and it was that thought alone that kept Caleb from fleeing back into the safety of the forest. As he stood there, staring into the sky, another arrow at the ready, he watched as two more flying shafts hit their mark. The dragon reacted instantly, dropping into a dive as it began to twist and turn, causing the two other arrows to miss their mark, drawing a curse from his lips. The words died soon after coming out though as his gaze met that of the dragons, its neck bending such that it stared at him, the gesture full of violence and ill will. If looks could kill, Caleb knew he would have been struck dead in that moment and the thought caused him to take a step back, then another. It was the struggles of the great beast that finally arrested his movement and Calebs eyes widened as he stared. Its wings were flapping furiously, trying to give it air, but the damaged one wasnt working properly. As he watched, the dragon made a turn in the air, its great body cutting through the wind currents like a knife through butter, and changed the direction of its flight, now heading away from him. He loosed the final arrow in his arsenal then, sending it flying towards the beast, and grimaced as he saw it miss. Realization dawned though as he saw why it had occurred the great beast was losing altitude, literally dropping from the sky at a rapid pace. He waited with baited breath, knowing that his only chance of finishing what he started was by getting a general idea of where the dragon would crash and when it finally dropped from sight, he grinned. Having surprise on his side had done the trick, allowing him to get the drop on the beast, but the fight was far from over. Now he had to find it and put it down for good, then harvest all that blood that he could. Loping through the woods in the general direction, he hurried to the general area where he thought the dragon had gone down. After a while, he finally slowed and began to search his surroundings, looking for the beast. As large as it was, there was no way it could hide from him but though he searched for hours, covering quite a bit of ground, he could find no sign of its existence. It was as if the dragon had miraculously healed itself and flown off or had managed to make it further than he had thought. Recognizing that he was out of his element Caleb knelt down and took of his pack, wanting a drink of water. When he reached for it though, he couldnt find it and realized he had dropped his jug in his rush to reach the dragon. Cursing softly, he considered where he was and, realizing he was near the river, stood and headed off. He was disappointed that his hunt had ultimately failed but he took solace in knowing he had injured the dragon and now stood a better chance of killing it if he found it again. As he walked, the sound of the roaring river reached his ears and soon he pushed through the vegetation and walked out on its rocky bank. Reaching the waters edge, he knelt down and scooped some of the fresh clear liquid into his mouth, drinking with greed. The water filled a deep thirst inside him and he felt his body relax, his neck twisting back and forth to loosen it. When he saw her, he froze, caught completely by surprise. Standing, he moved slowly up the bank, his eyes never leaving the shape of what appeared to be a woman. At first he thought she was wearing a blue shirt but as he drew near he realized it was blood that was running blue. Wondering about that for a second, he dropped to the ground beside her and quickly searched her body, finding the source of her cuts. Each one looked like a stab wound and with a start he surmised that she had been attacked by brigands and left to die. Instantly he got to work, setting up a fire on the rocks to warm her since her clothes were soaked and then peeling back her shirt so he could clean and dry the wounds there and on her arm. When he was finally done, he made both of them comfortable and settled in to wait. Hed already decided he was going to take her back to his cabin and nurse her back to health but didnt want to move her until she woke.