Errant

Errant had a love for the fight. It was in battle that his passion rose to the surface, unburdened by any thoughts and worries. He often wandered off on his own, away from the clan territory, searching for creatures to test his strength against. Just now, he had wandered farther than ever before, and encountered the average Barkback Boar. Nothing new for him. A few swipes from his heavy paws and the creature was done.

Onward he walked, head held high and tail waving softly behind him. The ground sloped downward, and the landscape turned from the barren rocky landscape of home to a dark pine forest. Something tugged at his paws, begging him to retrace his steps and return home, but he stubbornly continued on.

The first thing he noticed was the smell, the sickening aroma of rot. He wondered for a moment if he had wandered into Plague lands. But he couldn’t have possibly gone that far. Next he heard the roar; unlike anything he’d ever heard, it sent a chill through him. As he rounded a huge boulder, he saw it. Its scales shone dully in the overcast light, a multitude of greens, blues and silvers. Two pairs of eyes met his own, one electric and one blue. The Emperor dragon fixed its dead gaze on Errant. Ooze dripped from the creature's jaws, and when one head opened its mouth, a spark of electricity showing in the back of its throat, the ooze poured at an alarming rate onto the ground. Errant dove aside, dodging the lightning blast just in time. The beast roared again, and the wrongness of the sound of it vibrated in his bones as he blindly ran from the monstrosity. He wove through close-growing trees as fast as he could, hoping to lose the abomination in the forest. The blasts of lightning kept coming; he could feel the coarse hair on his tail buzzing from the electricity.

When he came to an open clearing, he spread his massive wings and took to the sky. Just as he got high and far enough that he thought he was safe, the searing, burning pain of a bolt hitting him just below his ribs made him cry out in pain. For a horrifying few moments he was in free fall, spiraling back towards the ground. With a tremendous effort, he forced his wings to beat, carrying him up again just before colliding with a tree. He flew without direction, only adrenaline and fear keeping him awake. He flew through the night. As the sun was rising on a new day the pain overtook him and he fell from the sky.

When he woke next, he was warm… an orange glow lit a large den. He started to raise his head when a deep voice spoke beside him. “Try not to move.” Errant turned his head slowly and met the orange eyes of a tundra dragon. His fur was primarily a swampy green, but his wings and some of his mane were a muted aqua color. “You had quite the fall. We thought you were done for.”

“We?” Errant asked, scanning the den, which was empty save for him and the Tundra.

“My mate and I,” the Tundra said. “My name is Stoneriver. Swiftwing is my mate; this is our den. You are a long way from home. We patched up your wounds, but you’re hardly well enough to go anywhere yet. Swiftwing said you can stay as long as you like. But if you decide to stay here permanently, you have to pull your weight.” He stood and turned to leave the den. “When you feel well enough to come out, there is plenty of food.”

Errant laid back, staring at the wall. The image of the Emperor dragon flashed in his mind, and he flinched. He couldn’t stomach the thought of what would have happened if he’d gotten caught… fused in with the beast, eternally hunting for other dragons… he shook his head. Maybe it was best he stayed for a while… recovered his strength.