Vistus - Part 12

“Jinny! Get away from there!” Lae’s voice rang out through the forest.

Jinny turned around. “Laerya? Akorri?”

The black dragon’s eyes flew open, fixing its sharp yellow gaze on them. It snarled, baring dagger-sharp teeth.

Lae wondered why her friend wasn’t moving. “Jinny! Hurry up!”

The dragon uncurled itself. Lae took a step back.

“Why are you here?” Jinny asked.

The dragon raised its head.

“That’s not important now! Run!”

The dragon stood up.

Laerya was frozen in place. The black dragon towered over her and Akorri; its thick tail was enough to knock them both unconscious with one swipe. The fur along its neck bristled and it opened its jaws.

Lae wasted no more time. She took out her blaster aimed just in front of the dragon, hoping a blast would distract it so they could escape.

“No!”

Lae’s finger froze on the trigger. The dragon didn’t move. She looked at Jinny, blinking. No? she thought. She figured Jinny didn’t want her to attack because that would mean harming the dragon; a revered species on Vistus. Harming one in any way was disgraceful. I wasn’t gonna hit it...

“Put that blaster away.”

Lae blinked again. Did Jinny just give her an order? It definitely sounded like a demand; the Feln’s visible eye was glaring daggers at her. Lae wanted to protest, but seeing such an angry expression on Jinny’s face stopped any reply from forming. She complied, lowering her blaster.

Jinny turned away to face the dragon. “It’s okay. They aren’t here to hurt you.”

What? Laerya frowned. She knows this dragon?

The black dragon closed its mouth and lowered its head, but it was still glaring at her and Akorri.

“You didn’t have to threaten him, you know,” Jinny said, irritation in her voice.

“I wasn’t...” Lae stared. “Wait a second! He was threatening us first!”

Jinny sighed. She put her hand on the dragon’s head. “Fine, I suppose he was. But only because you startled him.”

Laerya and Akorri exchanged confused glances.

“Dragons aren’t different from us,” Jinny said. “They retaliate when startled just like we do.”

Lae was reminded briefly of Katarina. The squirrel would probably say something similar. “So... if you weren’t there, he would’ve attacked us?”

“Maybe.” Jinny winced at that. “But I wouldn’t blame him.”

Lae took offence to that. “Hey!”

“I’m not saying he should have,” Jinny amended quickly, “but Shady hasn’t had the best experience with people lately. It’s only normal he would think you’re out to hurt him.”

“Shady?” Lae echoed.

“Wait, how do you know that?” Akorri asked.

The dragon, Shady, lay back down on the grass with his legs tucked under him, surveying the group through narrowed yellow eyes. His neck fur was no longer bristling.

“He told me,” replied Jinny.

“He...” Lae blinked. “What?” She didn’t know a whole lot about dragons, but one thing she did know was that most of them couldn’t talk.

“Yes.” Jinny smiled. “When I asked him what happened to him. Oh, he didn’t actually speak!” She shook her head. “I mean, he just kind of nodded or shook his head when I questioned him.”

“He can understand us?” Akorri said.

“Yes. All dragons can.” Jinny looked at Shady, who nodded his head to emphasise the point. “They are very intelligent creatures. More so than us, in fact.”

“Uh huh...” Lae was beginning to regret not paying attention when Fericeus was telling her about dragons.

“So what happened to him?” Akorri asked.

“From what I understand, people tried to hunt him,” Jinny replied. Shady lifted his wing to reveal a long cut going down his shoulder. It looked like it had been a nasty gash. “Why someone would hunt a dragon, I don’t know. It’s disgusting.” She spoke with venom. “I found him here in the woods and helped take care of him.”

Laerya raised her eyebrows. “And he let you?”

“Well, not at first. It took a bit of convincing...” Jinny and Shady glanced at each other, a shared look that held meaning. Lae wondered what exactly had happened that day. “But after I assured Shady I wasn’t going to hurt him, he let me treat him. We became friends after that.” Jinny smiled.

Friends with a dragon... Lae stared at Jinny and Shady in wonder. To her knowledge, dragons were difficult to even talk to, let alone befriend. They mostly kept to themselves and refused to come into contact with people unless they deemed it necessary.

“That’s amazing,” said Akorri.

Jinny’s ears twitched, and she rubbed her cheeks. “No, not r-really. Shady’s easy to talk to.”

Laerya was finding it a little difficult to believe. Jinny, meek, couldn’t-use-her-powers Jinny, not only faced an angry dragon, but befriended him, too? Akorri was right, that was amazing.

“So he’s not stuck up like his dragon kin?” Akorri smirked at Shady.

The black dragon snorted at him and narrowed his eyes.

“Well, I wouldn’t say they’re stuck up...” Jinny shook her head. “They just... don’t associate with people much, I guess.”

Like you, right? Lae thought.

Shady furled his wing again and yawned, his scales catching the dim light peeking through the trees and giving him a faint glow. Lae watched him, tilting her head slightly. He really was a magnificent specimen, as all dragons were; it was such a shame someone tried to hunt him. What did they want from him, anyway? She imagined they would have tried to make armour out of his hide or some other practise, and shuddered.

“Um... please don’t tell anyone he’s here,” Jinny said, her ears lowering.

You really don’t trust the Greengladers, do you? Lae furrowed her brow.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Akorri assured her. “You can count on us. Well, me definitely; Lae has a tendency to blab.”

“I do not!” Lae protested. “I kept your stealing on the ferry a secret, didn’t I?”

“What?” Jinny’s eyes widened.

Lae covered her mouth. “Oops.” She hadn’t meant for that to slip out.

“Damn it, Lae.” Akorri rubbed his head and looked at Jinny uncomfortably. “Uh. Yeah. She’s not wrong.”

“You what?” the white Feln prompted.

“I stole something on the ferry ride over here,” Akorri mumbled. Lae noticed even Shady was giving him a judgemental look. “I gave it back though.”

Jinny looked at him questioningly.

“I don’t know why I did it! I don’t know.” Akorri sighed.

“You have a problem, that’s why,” Lae muttered.

Akorri glared at her, but didn’t argue. He looked back at Jinny. “So, yeah. You’re consorting with a thief.” He gave her a charming grin.

“That’s nothing to be proud of,” Lae interjected.

Jinny’s ears twitched and she glanced at Shady. She didn’t look too pleased, but she gave no other sign of what she was thinking, “... I see,” she murmured.

Akorri rubbed his head. Jinny’s response didn’t seem to be the one he had been hoping for. He sighed, turning away. “Anyway, now that we know you’re not in any kind of danger, we can go.”

Before anyone else could speak, Shady let out a growl; a deep, menacing rumble that had Lae and Akorri jumping back in shock.

Then Lae heard it; the padding of clawed paws, the rustling of bushes in the distance.

"What is it?" Jinny asked Shady.

"I can hear something," Lae said, her ears pricked. "Probably a beast."

Shady nodded in confirmation.

"Well, if we don't approach it, it should leave us alone, right?" Akorri said.

The rustling grew louder. Shady stood up, his claws embedded in the soil.

"It's coming this way," Lae said. "Heading right for us."

Then the reek of carrion hit them.

Shady growled again. Lae's heart dropped. She peered past the branches, trying to catch a glimpse of the beast she had already faced off against once before.

"I can hear it now." Akorri tensed up. "There's that smell again."

"That's the walking corpse," Lae replied. "The dead Cragwing."

Jinny pressed against Shady, the barest hint of fear on her face. The black dragon lowered his head, scanning the forest for the dead monster. His eyes narrowed to slits.

Lae didn't know what they would do when the Cragwing found them. She could try shooting it again, but it would do nothing, maybe slow the beast down at best. They could run from it, but where would they go? The village wasn't an option, but Lae couldn't think of anywhere else.

Before she could do anything, the Cragwing ripped through the bushes, thrusting its eyeless head through the shrubbery and snarling, glowing slightly purple.

Lae fought the urge to gag from the sight, automatically whipping out her blaster and shooting the beast's head. A futile attack was better than being frozen in fear, which Jinny and Akorri seemed to be.

The Cragwing hissed from the blast, but only pushed harder to reach the group.

"It looks gross," Akorri muttered. He was shaking beside Lae. "Where are its real eyes? W-what is this?"

"I told you," Lae said, changing her ammo with a click, "it's a dead Cragwing." She shot a fiery bullet at its head again.

The monster roared from the bullet's burn yet it continued to push through. It appeared to be entangled in the branches, but it wouldn't be long before it was free.

Akorri was edging back, looking ready to flee, even though no one else moved. Lae wondered if he actually would.

"Jinny, you've got magic, right?" She looked at the Feln, who was completely paralysed. She would be useless in this state. "Jinny!"

She blinked, suddenly shivering. "U-um, I--"

With a final roar the Cragwing broke free, leaping right at the group with its claws extended. Lae dodged, knocking Akorri and Jinny out of its way. They hurriedly got back to their feet, ready to run. Only Lae seemed ready to fight.

The Cragwing rounded on them again, not letting up for a second. It limped slightly thanks to Laerya breaking one of its legs earlier, but it still moved too quickly for comfort. It hissed, baring its teeth to attack--

--Only to rear back as it was struck by Shady's tail. Lae heard bones cracking from the impact, and winced.

"Shady!" Jinny gasped.

The black dragon growled as he glanced at the group, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Lae was suddenly aware of how big he was. Oh no, she thought, He's going to kill us.

Then he turned away, advancing on the Cragwing. He did not give the beast a second to recover; his head shot straight for it, clamping the monster in his jaws. Laerya felt heat emanating from him and saw smoke seeping through his teeth. Her heart froze as she realised the dragon was biting right through the Cragwing, watching as it broke apart in his jaws, rotting fur and flesh dripping onto the ground.

"Ugh..." Akorri groaned.

Shady did not let go until the purple light of the Cragwing dimmed, and it was nothing but a lifeless corpse once more. He threw the carcass away and sniffed.

Lae was just about ready to run, but this time from the dragon. He'd bitten through the Cragwing as though it were a twig, snapping easily in his jaws. Somehow he had snuffed the 'life' out of the beast, something Lae hadn't figured out how to do. Alarm bells were ringing in her head, and she thrust her arm out to stop Jinny as she tried to approach the dragon.

"What?" She looked at Lae in confusion.

"Don't go near him," Lae murmured, watching as the black dragon licked his teeth.

"Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'why not'? You just saw what he did!"

"Yes, I did..."

"He's dangerous, Jinny. Like, really dangerous. I mean, he's a dragon!"

"Yes, he is." There was a hint of annoyance in Jinny's voice. "But he wouldn't do that to us."

"You don't know that for sure," Akorri spoke up.

"Yes, I do." Jinny moved from Lae's arm and approached Shady. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

The black dragon nodded, lowering his head. Jinny gently touched it, sighing.

Laerya watched, baffled. Jinny, the girl who had frozen up at the sight of the dead Cragwing, did not even bat an eyelid at the fearsome black dragon before her.

"At least it's dead..." Akorri mumbled. "For real this time."

Lae nodded. She wasn't sure how Shady managed it, but she was glad he got rid of the Cragwing, at least. The forest would be a little safer now. The scent of death would cling to the trees a while longer, but it would dissipate with the Cragwing's corpse.

Yet while she was appreciative of Shady's intervention, she was also concerned; not just about him, but Jinny as well. She was supposedly a magic user, but she hadn't even tried to attack or defend. Lae knew she didn't like using magic, but to do nothing in the face of danger was a bit much.

Not everyone was like her, she mused. She had to remind herself of that now and again. Sometimes people froze up. That was normal, and she tried not to fault Jinny for it, particularly when Akorri had done the same thing. They weren't used to these situations.

"We should report the situation to Alex," Akorri said.

"Um..." Jinny cleared her throat. Akorri looked at her quizzically and she continued, "That would m-mean telling everyone about Shady."

"Is that bad?" asked Lae.

"Well..." Jinny shuffled. "I'd prefer if they didn't know..."

Lae tilted her head. "Why?"

"What if, um... What if they... I don't know, it's a dumb worry."

"No, go on," Akorri pressed. "We'll come up with something else if we have to."

Jinny sighed deeply. "What if they try and kill Shady too, just like those hunters?"

Lae stared at her. If there was one thing she couldn't imagine, it was the Greengladers as hunters. Such peaceful people probably worshipped dragons. If anything, Shady would be even safer with them. Again, Lae noticed that Jinny really didn't trust her own people.

"You really think they'd do that?" Akorri asked.

"Um... Maybe not..." Jinny looked out into the forest. "I don't know."

"They were gonna find out about him eventually, right?"

"I, uh, I didn't think about that, really."

"Oh."

Laerya sighed as she listened. "They won't do it, Jinny. Everyone respects dragons, those hunters were just an exception. Shady will be fine."

Jinny looked at Shady, who nodded. That seemed to settle it. "Okay, then."