Thread: A Slave to Fire (LeatrixSage x A Monster)

The powerful bay Cora was riding snorted and tossed his head as she was trying to relax in the saddle and take a drink from one of the wine skins she had been given. The cool liquid missed her mouth as the horse skittered sideways and splashed over her chest to soak into the leather of her jerkin. Hey, she fussed at the horse as she jerked the rains and pressed her heels into the horses sides. He jumped as if he meant to bolt and she tugged his head back to keep him from darting off the road. Hey now, hey now, hold! she shouted at him while she looked around for whatever had spooked the horse. A simple stick in the grass that looked like a snake could set off a skittish beast, but he seemed like a solid, dependable horse. As she calmed him, she leaned forward to stroke his neck, but she couldnt see anything that would have set himself up. What has you so upset? she murmured as she slid from the saddle. The bay wasnt moving anywhere without her leading him by the nose, and she wasnt about to waste her energy trying to force him. As they moved along the road the sun sank a little further behind them as they made their way toward the mountains. The small hunters cabin that was her destination was a shadow at the foot of the mountains when the horse tossed his head again and began to dance behind her. At the same time, she sensed, more than heard, some change on the air. Hush now, Cora soothed the bay as she hopped back into the saddle to avoid being trampled by him. He turned a quick circle and she pulled him back. It seemed unlikely that an ambush would spook the beast, the smell of men shouldnt bother him, and the valley was among the safest in the kingdom before the dragon had arrived. The Dragon. Cora yanked the horses head around and kicked her heels into his belly to spur him forward. He leapt beneath her, and then his hooves were chewing up the earth as they flew. Long before she saw the dragon, she heard the beat of his wings, felt the air warm with its presence. Tucking herself low over the neck of the bay, Cora urged him to run faster. It was a rare dragon that would risk the vulnerability of the twilight. It had to be a reckless youth, or a very confident elder. But, why would an elder risk the loss of its hoard to relocate? This is all wrong. The bay screamed as it slid to a sudden stop, and then reared to kick at the sky just as the golden beast roared into life over them. The dusk light his scales shown with a copper light over their darker golden hue, and then he was gone as fast as he had appeared. The bay continued to dance and scream beneath her as she watched it streak across the valley toward the small port city. Immediately the urge to chase after the beast tore her through her, but Cora viciously tugged the horses reigns until he was faced the hunters cabin again. Running off to seek the beast would just get her killed. Either by the dragon itself, or the people of Sandbar that would blame her for the attack. Its too soon, she fussed as she nudged the horse back into a gallop. If I go now, I will die. Slowly, the driving will to seek out a confrontation bled away, and Cora settled into a steely resolve. She wasnt there to save human life, she was there to kill a dragon, and she had to be alive if she meant to do that. So it was that she leapt from the horses saddle and dragged the frightened beats into the small pin by the cabin while the township went up in flames to the west. Beyond the city the sun was deep beneath the horizon, the twilight hours nearly gone and night fast upon them, but the towering flames seemed to light up the darkening night sky. Cora wasted no time in gathering her gear off the frightened bay and pulling saddle and blanket from his back. There was no warm water to give him, so he would have to go thirsty while she boiled a few pots of water to warm the water in the trough. Drinking the icy water would make him sick, and she was careful to tie his reigns so that he couldnt reach it. Easy now, she whispered to him as she worked. It has no interest in us. Hush, now, easy boy, she talked slowly, spoke gently, about anything and everything, to keep the horse quiet as night fell over them. Within the cabin she had a small fire burning, and after boiling a few pots of water, she unlashed the horse to let him eat and drink his fill while she turned in to cook herself a warm meal. In the distance, the roar of the great fire was a like a storm rumbling over the valley. While she believed it was safe to assume the dragon had little to no interest in her, she kept the pair of slender swords she carried strapped to her waist. In case the beast did come calling, she would be ready for a fight. What had yet to be seen was rather the beast came in the form of a dragon or as a man, and what it would take to kill it.