Whitney Writes…

She held out her hand to the scaled snout. The space between it’s nostrils was wider than the palm of her hand. She could feel it’s power, it’s magic, flowing through it, through her. It grumbled and roared it’s displeasure at being woken. It’s natural cycle would not have had the creature up for another quarter of a century, but they were desperate. The pillaging and ransacking of their village had been non-stop for an entire season’s turn. And even though the dragon was not meant to wake for another quarter-century, the village Elders had found it fortuitous that a Dragon Caller had been born nearly fifty years too early.

And thus, it had become her duty. Saving her village had become entirely her responsibility. She had read all the tomes in the Elders’ hut meant to teach Dragon Callers. Practiced what spellcasting she could on her own. But none of it compared to having a living, breathing dragon standing before her.

It made her blood run like ice through her veins. It made her stomach coil into knots. It made her feel ill. She couldn’t help but think that all of these things were signs that she was not ready.

She spoke the words of the ancient tongue to bind herself and the dragon. Her voice cracking and lilting with her nervousness.

NO.

The dragon’s response, reverberating around in her own mind like like an echo in a stony outcrop was clear and concise. It was doing the thing the Elders had said rarely happened. The thing she had been told she could not allow to happen. It was happening. The dragon was refusing.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she panicked. Frantically, she began to recite the Binding spell once more.

The dragon roared in furry, uncoiling its massive body. She realized then that it had only half gotten up the first time. She knew now she had made a mistake.

FOOLISH MORTAL.

She winced at the dragon’s shout. It’s wings unfurled and it thundered towards the entrance of the cave, leaping out with a graceful soar. Her heart sank as she watched it fly down the base of the mountain, along the river valley that ran through the great forest, straight towards her village. The dragon let out a deafening below, likely drawing all the villagers out to witness what they hoped would be their salvation.

She imagined the faces of everyone she had ever known, turning upside down in horror when the realized what the dragon’s intentions were. How they turned back to the mountain, knowing she had failed. They likely assumed she was dead.

She felt dead inside, the dragon rotating in the sky so it was facing back towards it’s mountain. Towards her. She could see the glow in it’s throat as it summoned it’s flames. The inferno rained down upon her village, the buildings igniting instantly. After a few moments, she could feel the heat, even from this distance. There was some comfort in knowing it would be over nearly instantly for them all. If they had not seen the arrival of the dragon, they may not even have known it happened.

But who was she kidding? It had waited for them. It wanted them to know.

It was, after all, the malicious nature of the beast.

Inktober 2023, Prompt #27: BEAST