Kari sprinted like a thing possessed, ignoring the wind that tore at her hair with icy fingers seeking to pull her platinum locks in different directions and rip the headband from her head, Kari ran towards her home. She vaguely noticed that she ran past someone but it was of as little consequence to her other than avoiding the obstacle. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, like she was running in tree sap, pushing herself as hard as she could but not gaining any ground. After what felt like an impossibly long time Kari found herself on the familiar ledge of her home and without a second thought she sprang across the threshold. The fire had been banked and was burning low, by its light Kari could see three huddled shapes of the wives around the fire but Duskan was still awake, his back to Kari.
"Father!" Her voice was shrill, piercing and she took no trouble to keep it down. Duskan spun around his face automatically settling into lines of displeasure at her volume as the sleeping women fidgeted however his features changed into a question as he registered her alarm. Half rising from his seated position Duskan raised a questioning eyebrow at his daughter who was now gasping before him. Kari's breathless panic seemed to be choking her and there had never been such a bad time when words were essential, possibly everyone's survival counted on it. "Father ... I ... I saw something on the horizon, it was big but ... well honestly I don't know what I saw. The lightning only lit things up for a moment but when I saw it I felt a chill, I can still feel it now." As if in emphasis of her point a shudder trembled down her spine and she chaffed her hands against her arms which were now covered in goose bumps. Duskan's eyes raked over Kari as he assessed the situation, his brows knitted together in concentration.
Suddenly he was the epitome of action, springing to his feet and marching purposely out the door out into the storm and almost walking straight into Malik who had been hovering nearby. The chief clasped the hulking mans shoulder and stared intently into his eyes, despite the howling wind Duskan's deep voice cut through like a knife.
"I need you to gather the bravest men in the village, if Kari is right and her eyes can see the furthest, we may all be in great danger. Now go and meet me at the base of the tree in ten minutes." Kari had followed along behind her father not knowing what else to do but knowing she had to be a part of it, the thought of what she had seen silhouetted by the lightning seemed burned into her retina, even when she closed her eyes the image remained. So she stood immobile, a pace behind her farther as she watched Malik race off into the night to action the chiefs will.
"Father," unlike Duskan's rich timbre her voice was thin and almost lost to the howling wind, "Shouldn't we flee, if that was what I thought it was, we need to run. There is no fighting such a thing." The chief turned to his daughter, despite the storms ferocious strength only his clothes seemed caught in its power; he was as solid as a mountain not giving an inch whereas Kari seemed like at any moment she would be plucked into the air and swept along its tides. Duskan reached out a large calloused hand and gently held her cheek as his unfaltering gaze met Kari's wide panic-stricken eyes.
"Arimelda, there is no running from such a thing, nor from ones fate. All we can hope is that our actions will protect the ones we love. Now go home and I know that should I not return that you will lead our people to a bright future, it is your birthright, let no one take that from you." It seemed to Kari that although the storm blew harder than ever it was silenced in the wake of the rushing terror that pounded in her ears and wiped everything out but the singular thought, her father was saying goodbye and she would be left behind. Her hands shot out grasping Duskan's arms, her grip so tight that her nails embedded into his flesh as she attempted to articulate her protest. Before she could make her throat cooperate properly Kari found herself within her father's warm embrace, it was as if a bubble had sealed over them, the storm truly quietened, the wind died and the air was balmy. Duskan stroked her hair, calming and soothing her as he had done when she had been little and frightened by storms. There were no words now; Kari could no longer fight against the tears that tracked down her cheeks like streams of silver. It was no use; no begging or pleading would persuade Duskan from his chosen course especially if the fate of their people was at stake and it was not in him to send others into danger and not go himself. It was within this instant Kari felt a small fracture in her heart, no matter what happened this moment would forever be a scar she would carry.
All too soon Duskan withdrew from the hug and Kari was almost knocked to the floor by the force of the wind, its deafening roar in her ears forgotten for that moment out of time. With his head Duskan gestured back up to the house and Kari knew that she would obey, she did not linger. She knew if she dragged this out it would be more painful, instead she turned her back to him and walked quickly into the house. Despite the fires warmth and the walls blocking the wind Kari found the space colder than the depths of winter now that she knew what it would lack. Looking over to Helyn, Selios and Miridea she felt the cold void increase its hold on her, she did not think she could endure having to tell them where Duskan was when dawn finally banished the storm. With this thought hanging over her head Kari sunk to the floor, the tears that had already marked paths down her face fell without restraint but her sobs were silent although their force racked her entire frame.
It was some time later when the fire had truly died and Kari had no more tears left to shed that she looked up, her eyes hollow and without hope. She would not allow this to be the end of this tale, this would not be her part, to stand at the sidelines and endure the sorrow. Recklessness stole through her thoughts and she welcomed it as a bright spark of feeling against the overwhelming nothingness that threatened to crush her once again beneath its weight. Silently she gained her feet, touched the sharp hunting dagger that was strapped to her side and then swiftly ran through the door. Like the wings of the owl she flew as a ghost across the tree, seeming to sense the patrols before she saw them and making use of the deep shadows that engulfed her small form. The storm was still raging which only aided her escape, she easily marked the path of the hunters and took and following their trail, carefully keeping within the tree line, they didn't have more than an hour lead on her.
She ran as quickly as she could, running till her lungs burned in protest but still she did not stop, although quick and agile she had a lot of ground to cover. Kari could no longer see; whatever it was she had seen and for a moment there was a brief flush of embarrassment as she wondered if her eyes had deceived her. However the cold chill was still creeping up and down her spine, warning her of danger nearby told her there had been no mistake. Very soon Kari came across a fork, a fork in the path, in the tracks and her very destiny although Kari could never have guessed at the last part. It seemed that the hunting party had gone right, kneeling down she ran her fingers across their tracks, and they were no more than twenty minutes old. However the feeling of unease, a disquiet she could not explain was emanating from the left.
The reckless spark that had ignited before blazed brightly inside her chest as a plan began to take shape in her mind. It was said that the dark ones sought human flesh however if the whole group of hunters attacked it Kari was sure it would slaughter them all in anger but if she could distract it, lure it away from the hunters and her tribe. She had no real intention to die, martyrdom was not a particularly appealing idea but, she rationalised, her people would have a far better chance of surviving with her father and the hunters. Losing her would not impact them greatly; Malik could even take over from her father eventually. With this thought in mind Kari turned to the left and began to lope through the forest, she ran more quietly now, mindful of her footfalls as the storm had finally begun to die down, the wind still rough and cold but lacked the violence it had possessed.
It was not long until her sensitive ears picked up on an alien noise to the normal symphony of the forest at night. It was a low, pained keening, a sound of sorrow and misery, although not human Kari could easily hear grief in its call. She moved slowly now, careful that each footfall was silent and would not give her away to whatever called into the night. The moonlight filtered through the trees and bathed everything in silver light, up ahead Kari could see it was brighter, there must be a clearing, it was from here that the noise was emanating and Kari crept like a shadow to the edge of the trees.
There was a moment before her eyes adjusted to the brilliance, it felt like looking out onto a world of silver however her eyes quickly adjusted and she was able to make out the details. This was no naturally formed clearing, until very recently it had just been a part of the forest, sweeping her eyes from left to right Kari could see the path of destruction that had been wrought here. Large trees lay bent and broken, the ground was ripped and torn, splinters littered the floor like fallen snow. There in the centre of the clearing Kari saw the source of the noise ... a dragon.
Kari could see it perfectly, its body as sleek and agile as a large feline predator, all graceful lines and curves that flowed sinuously as it moved. The wings that were currently furled took her by surprise, they were coated in feathers, indeed although its body was covered mostly in shimmering scales, tufts of feathers circled its face, neck and back. Kari was so absorbed in looking at this most wonderful creature she had not noticed what it was doing, even the wailing could barely penetrate her consciousness as she admired its beauty. Then she actually looked at where it was sat and a small gasp escaped her involuntarily. The dragon was perched on what remained of a once large and beautiful tree, within the remains of its shattered branches Kari could make out the torn shape of a woven nest and within its heart were fragments of shell and the small still shape of a baby dragon. Kari could not move her eyes from the tiny shape that lay sprawled within a half of its egg, even from a distance she could see it was nearly perfectly formed, almost ready to experience the world before being cut down. The dragon must be its mother, there was no other who could sing such a haunting song of loss, her paws gently stroked her still child.
Turning her eyes away from the sad sight Kari looked at the tree itself, this one in particular had been targeted, all the other trees and been pushed or pulled out of the way, possibly for effect or simply for the thrill of destruction. The dragons nest tree was completely ruined, stomped on it seemed and Kari could only assume it had been done purposely, targeting the baby within the nest. Something wasn't right in her mind, a piece of this puzzle was missing and it niggled at her while she gazed at the still wailing dragon. The wind rushed about her; again it tugged at her hair but in a familiar way, like a friend trying to get her attention.
She would never know which came first, registering that the goose bumps up her arms or the chill up her spine had nothing to do with the wind or working out that this was a trap for the dragon. Everything fell into place with searing clarity and Kari looked up to her right and saw it, nightmare and terror had taken physical form and she watched it watching the dragon with an abhorrent hunger in its eyes that glowed like coals, the dragon trapped in its world of grief noticed nothing, this was the one emotion that could drown out all others.
Kari could not move, she could not breathe and she could not drag her eyes away although every nerve and instinct screamed at her to run. The creature was foul, its flesh darker than the night, she could see it enormous outline by the void it created, the light of the moon did not seem to touch it so she could make out no true details of its visage and for this she was grateful. Its head stood just above the trees, large horns protruded from the top of its head and its arms were sharp and curved like a scythe. Everything inside Kari wanted to shut down, to black out, to escape the horror that was eating away at her very being. She felt it was stripping away at her identity, her resolve and this was just from being in its presence, if its gaze was actually upon her Kari wasn't sure she could survive.
Through sheer force of will Kari pulled her eyes away from the terror and back to the dragon that was still crouched over her lost baby. It was then she felt something inside, like the recklessness that had overcome her fears before but this was new, a white hot flame that brought life and feeling back to her extremities, not banishing the fear and darkness but making it manageable. Seeing this creature stirred something within her she could not explain nor could she fight but she knew that she had to try and protect it. Forcing her legs forward was hard but not the impossible task it would have been moments before, the white fire continued to burn within her heart, shielding her from the overpowering fear. Within a few short strides Kari stood in the centre of the clearing, equidistant from the dragon behind her and the creature that stood within the tree line. Kari glared at it, her face contorting to a feral snarl, eyes looking straight into its own, her teeth bared as she dropped into a hunting crouch she pulled her dagger free of its sheath, its grating squeal filling the clearing. The dark one seemed taken aback, amused even, nothing in all its long years had ever stood before it, waiting for the fight except the dragon race, which is why it had developed this most perfect hunting method but here stood before him a soft, defenceless little human, its face fearless and full of indignant rage. A horrible chuckle ripped from its throat, mirthless and terrible it spoke of imminent pain, well it supposed it could eat the human first, it had been a while since it had eaten human.