The Opal of the Forest.

Chapter 2

I finally finished it! Sorry about the long wait. Hopefully chapters won't take months to be released from now on as exams are almost done. Let's see how long it takes for someone to guess who the creature is. Also: happy pride. Enjoy!

The man returned a few days later looking triumphant and immediately began prying scales from her arm.

"Get off me"

" I wouldn't say you're in a place to bargain, monster. I have the power here."

She quickly found a response, the growl not concealed in any way. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, I've taken down entire armies." 

"Well it's the first I've heard of it. And I saw what that arrow did; you're weak."

A sigh followed by hisses of pain filled the room before:

"I don't suppose you have a name?"

"Not your business."

Questioning the strange creature in his basement clearly wasn't going to do anything. Once Viren had gathered enough scales to experiment with he left again to place them in a cupboard and check on his son.

Since he'd used the creature's horn in a spell to try and heal Soren, he had been on an upward path and the worst of the disease seemed to have passed. All Viren had to do was make sure Lisa, his wife, didn't find out what he'd used for it, for his discovery would surely land him a place in the royal court.

He would continue to experiment with the creature for as long as he could, it would cause many lives to be saved.

Lisa had no idea how Viren had managed to help Soren, but she had a feeling dark magic was somehow involved. She had been intending to see what was in his 'lab' in the basement, but had become preoccupied helping her son to recover and keeping Claudia reassured.

When she finally made her way down there a week later - she was horrified.

She had no idea who had decided to come down here, but it clearly wasn't Viren. Letting out a growl of warning to the intruder didn't scare her off however.

"It's alright, I don't wish to hurt you... oh, what has he done?"

Lisa could see blood stains on the stone floor around the creature who was lying weakly on the floor, bound in chains - but hadn't lost all fight yet.

"If you've come for more scales, there aren't many left."

"What... no, I..." Lisa was stuck for words. Her husband had been keeping a sentient creature in their basement and using it for dark magic, she could justify an unintelligent beast, but this could speak, and was clearly suffering.

She set about loosening the chains tying the creature down, apologising for her husband's lack of respect. Lisa whispered to the creature to wait until moonrise, and then to run; clearly much to the creature's confusion, the chains fell to the floor.

"Why? Surely you're allied with him?"

"Not anymore. What Viren did before was one thing, this is unacceptable." Lisa stood up and left the room. A few hours later a small sack of food was placed by the door and yells could be heard, even muffled by the door the anger could clearly be heard. 

Once the argument seemed to have simmered down the creature grabbed the sack and swiftly limped from the room - out of the house - and into the starlight night...

Apologies for the cliffhanger, and the rubbish dialogue.