Book Two

  The Warrior, a human lion Therianthrope hybrid, leaped from the dragon's back as it landed heavily in the midst of the advancing creatures, crushing many and scattering those unlucky enough to be too close. The Therianthrope landed on the back of one of the beasts in the group, thrusting his short sword in his left hand through the rider while simultaneously bringing down the blade of his battle axe onto the neck of the beast it sat upon, severing the huge head.

As the large beast falls to the ground, the warrior pushes aside the dead rider, runs down the long back of the dying beast, heading for another target. He lands on the ground, rolls, then slides underneath the next beast. He thrusts the blade of his short sword into the soft, unprotected belly of the beast, turns his body, plants his feet firmly on the ground, stopping his forward motion, while the beast's mass continues forward. The blade slices up the length of the beast's belly, releasing its intestines as it keeps moving forward.

In less than the count of ten, two beasts and their riders are down, already moving to their feet, already prepared for the next. 

Crouching with weapons in hand, he charged at the next enemies, taking them out in less than a breath. Jumping to another, he skewers the tall, lanky rider with his sword, lifting him into the air and throwing him at two more riders close behind, knocking them off their mounts and causing them to tumble into the stampede of their own and other beasts. 

The riders were known as the Husk. These creatures, rarely seen during the day, were a fierce and brutal race. They looked like tall, oversized human skeletons, with skin stretched tightly over their bones. Their skin had a purplish tint, and they were completely hairless. Their jaws contained two or three rows of sharp, white teeth, perfect for ripping and tearing. Many men, women, and children from the village he and the dragon were protecting had fallen prey to those deadly teeth.

The warrior glanced back at the dragon; its enormous size and ferocity didn’t seem to stop the Husk from moving forward. Two or three Husks and their mounts were knocked down each time the dragon swung its claws at the approaching horde, but they kept coming regardless.

So far, the two protectors had stopped any of the Husks from getting past them, but these creatures were determined to reach their prey.

“We will have to try to lure them away,” Crow's voice said in the warrior’s mind. “At least long enough for the villagers to make it safely to their vaults so these Husks can’t reach them.”

The warrior was already beginning to lose himself in the battle, reluctant to stop fighting, killing, and tasting the blood of combat. His human side was stronger when it came to reason, and without Crow, the dragon, offering calm guidance, he would always get caught up in the chaos of the fights.

“You are correct, Old Friend. We can pretend to retreat and lure them toward the cliff,” the warrior thought back.

“Let it be so,” came the reply. “Come, we will retreat slowly enough for them to follow, then fly off when we reach the cliff. That should give enough time for the village to reach safety.”

The warrior took down another beast and rider before sprinting back to Crow and jumping over the dragons.

Crow galloped slowly westward toward the cliffs, pausing now and then so the warrior could throw rocks and insult the approaching horde. They were doing a good job of distracting the hordes from the village and focusing their attention on them. This will do the trick, the warrior thought.

By the time the two protectors reached the cliff, it was almost night. They still had the remaining horde following them. They stopped just short of the edge, fought a few more Husks, then the dragon leaped off the cliff, spread its wings, and flew away from the advancing horde. Some of the hordes were so fixated on catching the duo that they leaped after them, falling to their deaths.

These Husks remind me of a story I heard about creatures called Kobalt’s,” the warrior remarked to Crow. “Kobalt’s would storm a castle with endless hordes. Reaching the wall, they would simply climb on top of one another. Group after group, eventually crushing the previous group underfoot. Hundreds, thousands, one on top of another, all in an attempt to get over a wall.”

Crow dipped his head in thought, “I remember something from my past about a reptile race, I could sense them but not see them. They weren’t violent, but they were a nuisance.”

The warrior tilted his head and frowned. “I am not following. How does a nuisance compare to a crazy horde race?”

“You had a memory from your past that you’ve never mentioned before,” Crow responded. "We rarely remember these moments from our pasts, like the one you just shared, which also brought up the memory I just shared with you.”

The warrior knew Crow was right, again, always the voice of reason. All they remembered was that, upon waking from the long dream, there was some kind of dream state and everything that followed. 

In the dream, they learned together how to communicate and act as one. They became friends—more than friends—and turned into one entity, connected on a level no one could have imagined.

“I think it’s about time we start heading back to the village,” the warrior said, interrupting his thoughts. “The Husks should have disbursed by now, not being able to find the villagers. They’ll have migrated to the next animal grazing site by now, so they won’t be back until next season at best.”

“Agreed,” confirmed Crow. “They will be safe until next season. We can..." Crow suddenly dropped, as if he were falling.

“CROW!” the warrior shouted, gripping the dragon's scales as tightly as possible, trying not to fall off. 

Crow regained his composure, spread his wing, and stabilized his flight. “My apologies, friend, I felt something I’ve never felt before. It hit me and froze every muscle in my body.” The dragon does sound a bit shocked. It felt like something I should know, powerful and altering.” 

He beat his wings harder and rose higher into the sky. Taking a deep, long breath, he stretched out his tail, extended his wings, and slowly glided down to the tree tops. “We need to rest, and I need to eat. I have expended too much energy on the events of the day and need to refuel.”

The warrior was aware of the dragon's need to “refuel.” He grew slower and more lethargic. The warrior could also sense the dragon's mental state worsening. “Yes, let us rest and find food. That will be best for both of us.”

With that, the dragon moved toward a small clearing just outside the forest.passionate about bringing readers the best in literature.