A New Life - book one

Into The Forest

Each step out of the mansion was agony, my legs felt weak, and I felt my bones scrape together with every step. My mouth felt dry, I hadn't found any water, and eating that rotting human made every ragged breath feel like I was coughing up dust. The bird noises had stopped, they had all retreated back into the trees. I stepped off the last step that led to the entrance of the mansion, and out onto the stone gravel below. The stone was slightly painful against my already pained feet. I looked down to the stones, and growled. Does everything in this world want to hurt me?! I clawed at the stones aggressively. Not everything, my answered, with a thoughtful tone. Then what will and will not hurt me? I growled back. That is for you to find out, my good friend. I rolled my eyes, ceasing my clawing of the ground.

I was relieved when after I reached the end of the stony ground, and onto the lushes green grass. The grass underneath lightly brushed against my feet as I entered the forest. The grass felt so nice, I just wanted to fall down, and sleep maybe forever it would be so easy...

A hurried flock of panicked birds launching themselves from a tree brought me back to the real world. I wonder what spooked them, I thought. Your guess is as good as mine, my friend, my mind answered. I shrugged off my mind's blunt answer, and cautiously lowered myself onto all fours. I winced in pain as I leaned my weight on my arms. I listened intently to my surroundings, hearing tree leaves rustle as another gentle breeze blew over me, cooling my scales.

I heard water rush by as it made its way down stream. There's your water source, my mind growled to me. I scoffed, and turned my attention back to listening. Suddenly, I heard foot steps as some sort of creature trotted by.

I swivelled my head around, and the rest of my body soon caught with my head. But when my vision realigned, I saw nothing. Whatever it was, I couldn't use my sense of sight to locate the animal, I had to use my ears.

I crouched down low to the ground once more, and listened again. I heard the creature dash across the grass, from behind trees to bushes. I felt my pulse increase, and my heart rate quicken. Calm yourself! My mind hissed. But I didn't listen, all I could hear was my heart pounding in my head. Calm down! My mind repeated. You're going to kill us both if you don't calm down. My senses were all scrambled, it felt like my vision sense and my hearing had switched places. I thought I heard the creature to my right when in actuality it was coming from my left. I thought I saw something in front of me when in actuality it was behind me.

Suddenly, I leapt in a random direction where I thought the creature was. I snapped my jaws at where I thought my target was, but my jaws closed around nothing but air. It was then that I felt a scratch to the side of my leg, and I roared in pain as the I felt three long gashes open up over the slashed scales.

I whipped my head around to see who my attacker was, but nothing was there. I felt something land on my back, and began to bite and claw at the back of my neck. I felt my eyes begin to tear up after every blow. Eventually I had had enough, I roared in rage, and rolled on my back to get the attacker off.

The clawing of my back ceased as I felt the attacker leave. It felt like my back was on fire, it felt like someone had poured salt into each wound. My senses gradually began to return to normal, and I began to see better, but I still couldn't see my attacker. Whatever it was, it was too fast. I began to growl, baring my teeth. "Where are you!?" I barked. There was no reply, I only heard footsteps behind me.

There was a slight pause, and it felt like everything (except my attacker) had stopped moving. Then I swiftly turned, and lashed out with my claw. I felt my claw connect with my attacker, and I felt my attacker's blood coat my claws, I heard my attacker growl more in frustration than in pain.