Wisp

She was being hunted.

Well, technically her entire family was being hunted. Ever since her father had left his old clan, escaping his Exalted destiny.

That was something they never talked about.

Her fate was to be the same as her father's. She didn't want it. She couldn't understand it. Being born into an insanely powerful line of royals - was that really a reason to be forced to work for a deity?

Twigs snapped behind her, and she turned and ran on. She never should have left the clan. Her mother was right: at least the clan could have protected her. But it was too risky. She didn't even know who was hunting her; it wasn't worth it to risk the destruction of the entire clan.

She ran on, panting, until she felt like she couldn't run any longer. She stopped and hid behind a tree, silent and waiting.

She could hear her hunter coming closer. Twigs snapping, leaves rustling. Then a heavy panting sound and the thump of footsteps. She peeked around the tree. A large creature stood there, but she couldn't tell what it was. The creature bent down, sniffing the ground.

The young dragon crouched lower to the ground, trying to see around the bushes that obscured her view. She couldn't see it clearly, but she could tell it was something big.

The creature looked up, glaring in her direction. She froze, terrified. Then the creature lifted its head, letting out a terrible screech, then turned and ran off in the opposite direction.

The young dragon stayed hidden for a moment longer, then came out. She could see footprints in the earth, footprints larger than she was. She circled around one of the prints curiously. What was it that was chasing her?

The creature screeched in the distance. She lifted her head in the direction of the sound, crests flaring up. There was a moment of pure silence, then the terrible scream again, this time closer. The creature knew she was here. She had to leave Arcane territory.

Unsure of where to go, she turned and ran east. Could she find a new clan? And if she did, would joining them put them in danger? What if the creature found her again? Was there even a place to hide?

She wasn't sure how long she had been running - was it hours? Days? The land around her had become red and black; the air was stagnant and smelled of death. The Scarred Wasteland?

She collapsed, out of breath, unable to continue. The last thing she remembered was the screaming of the creature in the distance, slowly coming closer.

When she woke, about five hours later, something was different. The land was cooler, the air cleaner, and - was that grass she felt under her claws? She opened her eyes and saw darkness.

She was definitely in Shadow territory. After a moment, she realized that she was surrounded by dragons. A clan?

She froze, unsure of what to do. Should she join them? One of the dragons seemed to be saying something, but she didn't hear them. She turned instead and looked over her shoulder as the screams of a mysterious creature echoed over the land.

Art:


I commissioned Ratttteeth to draw her ❤