After being discovered on the battlefield, Dragon has to run for his life. He finds his old friend, Bear, and a new companion, Rat. With Bear's strength and Rat's brains, they decide to take up the course of freeing the beast people, better known as...
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I looked at Dragon and saw him putting food in his bag and repacking the things he took out. Do I want to fly or run? Running is safe but.. I've never flown before. The idea of flying was both exciting and terrifying for me. "How will I stay on your back Dragon?"
He showed me a strip of leather that he tied around his waist. "You need to keep clear of my wings and hold on to my neck, but this will hold you if you fall."
I swallowed in a suddenly dry throat. "All right I'll fly." My voice quivered with the answer.
Bear grinned as he pulled his bag onto his back. "Don't you sound sure of yourself." He laughed sarcastically.
"Told you Rat, dragon fire!" Dragon said, fanning his hands in front of him like he was fanning an ember to make a fire.
I nodded as he came over and tied the strip around my waist. Bear came over with a small bag and put it on my back. The bag smelt strongly of berries and felt full. "I will bring the rest on my sledge." Bear said as he pulled something from the wall and laid it on the ground.
"All right! We will wait to give you time to get a head start." Dragon laid his arm over my shoulders as Bear gathered more food on the sledge. How much food does this guy have? He's worse than a Rat.
After a few moments, he slipped a strap over his head and looked back at us. "Ahead start of how long?" Bear asked.
"Not too long they are coming up the mountain." Dragon was looking out the mouth of the cave as he spoke.
I looked out and saw a small group moving slowly towards us. I turned back to Bear in time to see him bound up the tunnel. "I'm morphing Rat." Dragon said in a soft whisper.
I stepped back to give him space. His head changed shape, his nose elongated, and his mouth widened, splitting his head into two and revealing rows of sharp teeth that glittered in the light of the moon. His neck became longer, his back sprouted wings that grew to twice the size of me. His tail grew from the base of his spine and stopped abruptly. It looked like he had lost the end of it at some point. As it swayed I saw the nasty scars on the end. His fingers grew talons and his skin spouted scales that shone red in the dim light ofthe moon. He now filled the space and towered over me in my small Rat form. Dragon looked at me with his amber eyes that now looked more reptilian. I forced down my fear looking into those eyes.
My instinct begged me to back away but his eyes told me he meant me no harm. He pointed at his back, and I climbed up between his wings, trying to keep the leather strap from interfering as I went.
I gripped his neck and he mumbled. "I'm going to announce our presence by breathing fire, then I will fly, all right?" His mumble was low, a growl that echoed through the mountain, sending chills of fear down my spine.
"Yes." My voice shook giving away my fear.
"Hold on tight." He grumbled.
I gripped him tightly around his neck and he started to warm up. I could feel the fire rising through him as he breathed fire out of the cave. The deafening roar made my skin crawl but I didn't have time for fear. I felt the heat of that fire even from where I was on his back. My tail became slick with sweat and the rock around him started to glow with the heat.
